


Team Courier

by OdysseusOfGaming



Category: Sleepless Domain (Webcomic)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 64,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26683438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OdysseusOfGaming/pseuds/OdysseusOfGaming
Summary: At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.These are their adventures.This work is not intended for commercial use.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Team Courier

Ellie had heard about Team Courier before, but seeing them in person was rather surprising.

There were about nine girls in there, all of them different colors and ages, chatting in a classroom and waiting for something. Other than Sandra, the small blue girl checking her homework with the others, Ellie didn't think she'd ever seen any of them before, although admittedly she hadn't paid much attention to the older girls at school yet. Not that she'd been there for that long; she had the dream, what, two or three months ago? A bit late, in her opinion.

Ellie was 13, and kind of tall for her age. Her hair, formerly brown, now silver, was put in a braid today. She didn't like the braid much, but her friend Kate did, and she had insisted that Ellie needed to make a good impression on her first day, and so braided her hair. Ellie suspected that wasn't her only reason, but went along with it anyways. For what it was worth, she did want to make a good first impression: this wasn't just her first time teaming up with anyone, but also her first official night out as a Magical Girl, and it was making her nervous.

For a moment, Ellie considered greeting Sandra. The girl herself noticed, and shot the coldest glare in the world at Ellie, who then decided to go anywhere else.

Looking around the classroom, she noticed they had exactly ten chairs set up, one for each girl there. Aside from the group of girls checking their homework, there were two others aside the group who were talking, and further away from them a girl in red, sitting on her own, a book on her lap. Before Ellie could make a choice of where to go, the classroom door opened, and an older girl entered.

She had lustrous black hair in a side-plait, and oddly shining black eyes, as if a starry night. Her outfit, as she was already transformed, consisted of an embroidered, short-sleeved black tunic with a hood and golden detailing, cotton pants and undershirt, and black boots, as well as a sash and a mail satchel. She also carried a box alongside her with a clipboard on top of it, and flashed a heartwarming smile upon seeing the other girls.

Immediately, the others scrambled to their seats, leaving only one empty: the seat behind the red girl, which Ellie took for herself while the older girl went to the front of the class. One of the girls greeted her as Ryder.

-How are we doing tonight, girls? Good to see you all here! \- She looked at an orange girl from the corner of her eye, a slight smile on her face. - _Tamara._

-It was one time. One time!

-I know, hon. Just teasing. Anyhow, you all know the drill by now. Phoebe, Helen, Team Forte asked us to send someone at them, so you're getting that assignment. Sandra, Tamara, you girls need to warn a Team... wow, this girl needs to improve her writing. You girls need to find out what team this is supposed to be, and warn them that their green member isn't going to show up today. Family emergency.

The orange girl took the note from Ryder's hand, and immediately recoiled in horror at the writing. Sandra leaned in to check and reacted the same way.

-Chris, Melissa, I'm assigning you girls to the northern area tonight. Team Lunar are all out with injuries tonight, so you girls are going to help coordinate the other teams around to cover their patrol area. Keep an eye out for monsters, help take the pressure off if you can. They'll need you early, so the two of you are dismissed.

A purple girl and a green one got up and rushed out, apparently transforming in the hallway by the sound of things. The two girls who were left, a pink and a white one, perked up.

-Yeah, the two of you know what's left. Hospital duty for you today. Keep communications up. Also, talk to the girls of Team Rescue, one of them had an idea for setting up a line with Team Recovery that they wanted to try. Hear them out if you have the chance, and report back to me tomorrow.

The two girls cheered. Apparently hospital duty was a good thing.

-Now, one last thing before we go, you all may have noticed we have a new member. Say hello to Ellie, everyone. \- The girls all greeted her, with different levels of enthusiasm. - Feel free to ask any of these girls advice, Ellie, they're all... well, almost all of them are really nice.

The orange girl tried protesting, but Ryder winked at her playfully.

-Now, if nobody has any questions, you may all go. Ellie, Dawn, you stay behind so I can talk to the two of you.

The other girls started heading out. Ryder picked up her box, then sat on a chair besides Ellie.

-So, let's get formalities out of the way. \- She propped up her clipboard. - I'm Anne Ryder, AKA Magical Girl Night Courier. You, if nobody messed with my notes, are Ellen Pond, AKA Magical Girl Mercurial Dance, right?

-Yes! Well, Mercury Courier, now.

Ryder laughed sheepishly.

-We don't really demand girls change the name to be in the team here, but I'm glad to see you're excited about this!

-Oh, absolutely! My friend said a lot of good things about you guys, and I was worried about being non-thematic with anyone, so if I can help out here this works great!

-Actually, about that... Sandra's the one who recommended you to us, but she didn't sound very... enthused about the whole idea?

-Ah, yeah, I don't think she likes me much. I'm actually friends with her younger sister Kate. She probably made Sandra recommend me. We don't really know each other that well otherwise. We're not even in the same year.

-Huh. I've met Kate, she's a nice girl. Well, at least one of them seems to think you'd do well here, and that's good enough for me. Welcome to the team!

She enthusiastically ticked something off in her clipboard, then put it to the side.

-Now, a few basic things. We don't have a lot of rules or demands or anything, but I will ask you this: first, you need to carry with yourself a satchel \- she pulled a little bag from the box - like this one. It's mostly a precaution thing in case you're asked to transport something, and it also doubles as a neat form of branding, at least until we get ourselves a manager.

-Don't hold your breath. \- Remarked the girl in red, without raising her head from her book.

-We're getting one. \- Insisted an annoyed Ryder. - It's just taking some time to find the right person. Anyways, the other things is, we tend to keep to pairs here at the team, made up of one girl with support powers who delivers the messages, and one girl who goes along to keep her safe. That's the idea, anyways, although most girls in the team right now fill the support role better. But hey, we'll be getting more girls in time. That said, you might have guessed already, but you're pairing up with Dawn here.

The girl with the book lifted her head to look at Ellie. Her red hair was stylized in a pixie cut, and her eyes seemed surprisingly cold for such a bright red. Her Symbol could be briefly seen at the base of her neck, but Ellie couldn't make it's shape out.

-Well met. \- She said, and went back to her book. Ryder pouted at that introduction.

-Her _name_ is Dawn Roche, AKA Magical Girl Wind Courier. She's one of our veterans here.

Dawn gave Ryder a thumbs up without drawing her eyes away from the book. Must have been a really interesting chapter.

-Now, since today is your first day, I'm giving you girls a simpler assignment. You're getting Team Alchy's turf tonight. They're pretty good for clearing monsters out, so it should be relatively simple. Just keep doing rounds until somebody calls you up for a job.

-Lotta messages going in between teams?

-Normally it's just small stuff. Warning about a monster escaping in some direction they can't cover, the occasional request for a delivery from the nearby hospital or something. You might also be asked to call in Team Rescue if someone's injured, but that hasn't happened a lot lately. If it does, you let Dawn deal with it.

-Got it.

-Also, you're going to find a small notebook inside that satchel. That's for you to keep a log: any messages you get there, you write down what the message was, who's sending and who's receiving, and, if you can, the time. Then turn the page in to me tomorrow. You got all that?

-Yeah, it's not a lot.

-Good. It really isn't. It's a bit chaotic on the field sometimes, but we tend to get by. We'll do even better now that you're here, it was getting chaotic with just five groups.

Ryder got up and took the box back to where it was before, while Ellie did some maths on her head.

-If you're wondering about the number of girls, \- Said Dawn, still not lifting her head from her book - that's because Ryder works alone.

Ryder jumped at hearing that.

-Wait, you do? Isn't that dangerous?

-Well... \- Ryder turned around, once more with a sheepish smile on her face. - Yeah, a bit, but... look, I've been doing the delivery thing for the better half of the last four years all on my own, ok? By the time we formed the team a few months ago I was already used to working alone!

-You're selling yourself short, miss Night Courier. \- Dawn moved her bookmark to the page, closed her book, and stood up. - Ryder here is the only member of the team who can actually deal with going solo.

-Dawn! \- Ryder complained, blushing.

-Anyhow, we should get going. Barrier goes down soon.

-Actually, Dawn, I... I'd like to have a word with her before you go. In private.

The two of them shared a look, although Ellie couldn't see it. Ryder left the classroom without saying anything.

-Look, about Dawn... she's a bit, uh, stoic, yeah, but... just, don't go too hard on her, yeah? Her former partner is... missing, right now. Has been for a few weeks. 

Ellie couldn't help but display her worry as she tried to look for the right words, and Ryder picked up on it.

-Hey, don't worry about it too hard. I just thought you shouldn't go in without knowing that. She doesn't like to touch on the topic much, so just go along with her and let her teach you the ropes, ok? We'll work out relations as we go.

When Ellie got out of the school building, Dawn was already transformed. She wore a rather simple red dress, with a white vest and boots, as well as a bracer on her right arm, and a heavy-looking glove on her left hand, which was raised in the air, as if she was checking a watch. She looked at Ellie, her expression still stony. It took her a second to realize Dawn was waiting for her to transform, and so she did.

Ellie's outfit was, up until this point, the best part of being a Magical Girl for Ellie. She and Kate had spent years debating Magical Girl outfits, and the end result did not disappoint: A ruffled dress going on a gradient from silver to green, with dark green embroidery flowing down the dress to join the greener parts, with long, puffy sleeves and knee-high boots.

Dawn stared at the dress for a good thirty seconds, before nodding in approval.

The warning then came over the speakers.

-Attention all citizens. The time is now 9:55 P.M. Please make sure you are back inside your homes, with all doors and windows locked.

Dawn looked up at the speakers with a curious expression, as if she'd never noticed them before.

-We should get going. Team Alchemical's patrol route is a bit far from here.

-Should we get running, then?

-No need.

From her gloved hand, a wisp of light appeared, and formed into a large, red eagle, perched atop Dawn's arm. It playfully pecked her head a bit, to which the girl almost seemed to smile.

-New friend today. Let her ride, okay?

The eagle looked in Ellie's direction, then back at Dawn. It spread it's wings and flew away, leaving what seemed like a visible trail of wind. Dawn extended her hand.

-You should hold on. Otherwise you'll drop.

A bit confused, Ellie took Dawn's hand, and together they ran onto the wind trail. As they did so, things sped up considerably, with Dawn gliding over the air just a bit above the buildings, Ellie gliding behind her.

And so the two sped off into the night.

The barrier that night was purple, with red windows. It was Ellie's  first time being out during at night like this, but she'd opened her curtains once or twice to look outside before, and this wasn't color scheme she'd seen before.

The ride thus far had been pretty quiet. Wherever the eagle was leading them, it clearly didn't communicate with Dawn, at least not in any way Ellie could see.

-So she told you?

The sudden question startled Ellie, who once more couldn't hide her surprise. Dawn who wasn't even looking at her, could tell.

-Figured.

An awkward moment of silence passed, for what seemed an eternity.

-Don't worry. When she comes back, we'll help you find a new partner.

-I... if she...

- _When._ She's coming back.

Ellie found herself at a loss for words. She raised her other hand in an attempt at providing comfort, but before she could, a flying monster passed them by.

-Hm. Snarks. \- Said Dawn, annoyed. - One moment, I...

All of a sudden, the two of them plummeted towards the ground. Ellie could barely register what was happening, save for Dawn's eagle turning around and diving towards them, and the two landing and tumbling on the ground. By the time they stopped rolling, Ellie got up to notice that Dawn had taken the worst of the fall, shielding the younger girl. All around them, other monsters started closing in, about twelve weird, dog-like creatures. Almost instinctively, she put her hand to the ground and let her powers work. Around them, the ground began liquefying. The creatures seemed puzzled about this, but above them, the flier turned around and started coming in for another go.

-Keep the ground ones busy!

-Right!

Dawn tried getting up, but couldn't. Her leg wouldn't move. Instead, she stretched out her arm, and her eagle soared towards the flying monster, leaving it's wind trail as it missed the creature. Through some focus, Dawn the expanded that trail rapidly, creating a wind tunnel that slammed the monster into the wall and took it out.

The wind also caught Ellie off-balance, however, and she stumbled, the street turning solid again for but a moment before she could liquify it again. A moment was all it took, however, as a monster jumped over her and headed directly for Dawn.

Out of pure instinct, Ellie grabbed the thing's leg to stop it. It's momentum pulled her up and she grabbed it's torso whole, leading the monster to buck wildly to try and throw her off, while Dawn's eagle circled them to keep the other monsters at bay. The creature managed to slam Ellie against a wall, forcing her to let go and drop to the ground. Dawn tried jumping at it, but the thing slashed her side, throwing the older girl to the ground and causing her eagle to vanish. In a moment of quick-thinking, Ellie liquified a wall, sticking her hand into it and pulling out a piece of rebar, with which she pierced the dog monster, dissipating it. Before it was even fully gone, Ellie jumped over Dawn on the ground, placing herself between her and the other advancing monsters. All eleven of them, getting ready to attack...

And then an arm stuck out from the ground.

Ellie barely got to see what happened next. A girl came out of the floor, grabbing onto a monster and pulling it into the shadows. She almost seemed to wield the darkness, slipping in and out of them to strike at monsters, sometimes pulling another one down. It was over in but a moment, and the only one standing at the end was the Night Courier, her figure framed against the lights as she removed her hood.

Ryder glanced towards the girls, and smiled reassuringly. Ellie relaxed a bit and waved towards her. Immediately, Ryder’s expression went stern. She pulled something from her belt, and Ellie heard a noise behind her. A monster, clearly about to pounce on her, was now falling through the ground, sinking into Ellie's own shadow. A light then shined on both of them, and the monster's legs, which were already sunk, popped out of existence as the shadow vanished, leaving only a monster with very stubby little legs above the ground, harmlessly rolling around.

Ryder laughed softly as she approached Ellie.

-Ah, I love it when that happens. Always gets me.

She walked by and started pushing the monster around with her foot, putting a flashlight back on her belt. Ellie stared at it for a second.

-What did you...

-Hm? Oh, right, yeah, that's... that's my power. I can sorta... make portals out of shadows? Go through them, pull stuff in, that kinda thing. \- She demonstrated by sticking her hand in a shadow, and the hand appeared under the shadow of an entirely different wall. - There's probably a pair of monster legs a few blocks away from here right now.

As she said that, Ryder pushed the legless monster down a slope, and watched it roll downhill with a devious smile on her face. She seemed very satisfied with that scene, waving the monster goodbye.

-Anyhow \- She said, turning on her heels to face the girls - are you two okay? I was keeping an eye out to make sure your first night wouldn't get out of hand, and thank goodness for that. Been a while since I saw so many monsters in one place.

-They came out of nowhere. I'm worried about the sky, though. Just dropped all of a sudden. That never happened before. \- Said Dawn, being helped up.

-That _is_ odd. No monsters struck you in the air or anything?

Dawn shook her head negatively. Ryder frowned, and very quickly looked Dawn over.

-You're hurt.

It was a declaration, not a question, and it seemed final.

-Come on. There's a hospital nearby, we'll get you girls there. Maybe run into Team Alchemical on the way, ask them if they know something. They might be able to point out a safe route.

She'd barely finished saying that when a tiny, golden critter passed them by. It looked at the three of them very carefully, then scoffed disapprovingly, turned aside and ran away into the night.

-...odd. \- Said Dawn.

-You think some other girl wandered into Alchemical's turf or something?

As she said that, Ryder turned a corner and froze on the spot.

-Go call Team Rescue.

-What?

-Team Rescue. Go get them. Now. Go!

Her tone left no room to discuss. The two girls ran, towards the nearest outpost. They would only find out what Ryder had seen on the next day.


	2. Three's Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryder tries to set up some teamwork. Ellie meets some new dorks.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

-So you were the ones who found them?

-Well, sort of. \- Answered Ellie. - Ryder is the one who found them. She made sure we couldn't see what happened.

It was very bright that morning, almost mockingly so. Made it difficult for Ellie to fully internalize the events of last night, despite Kate being a very clear reminder.

Kate was a wonderful girl. She was very tiny and very blonde, with a smile bigger than anyone else's, and wore a big baggy jacket over a black t-shirt. She and Ellie had been together their whole lives, geeking out over Magical Girls and helping each other through class. Well, Kate helped out with class. The day in which Ellie would be able to help her there was still to come. Only recently had they been split apart, due to Ellie having the Dream. The two still saw each other a lot, though. No magical duties would stop that. Even now, the two were walking together to Future's Promise, despite their classes now being in different times and schools.

-I'm glad Night Courier was there, then. And she saved you from monsters, right?

-Oh, definitely. Don't know how we would have managed without her. Guess she knew better than to let a rookie go it alone! \- Ellie laughed awkwardly.

-Either that or Sandra really downplayed you.

-That's... actually very likely. Wait, did Ryder just think I was a chump?

Kate giggled.

-I think you're fine, Elle. She let you in the team, and from what you're telling me you did fine. So... are you going to stay with them?

-Oh yeah, absolutely. The girls seem pretty nice, and it's safer having a team than not having one.

Kate nodded quietly, absorbed in her own thoughts. It wasn't hard to guess why.

-Hey, come on. I'm as safe as I can be, ok? Team Courier is filled with girls who can help me out if I need, and I'm not about to go running into monsters just for fun, so don't worry so much, yeah?

Kate smiled a bit.

-There's my girl. \- She planted a small kiss on Kate's forehead. - Now, miss Katia Blake, you get going. And stop cutting class just to see me before mine, yeah? I don't want to see you losing those high grades just because I'm not there anymore.

-Hardly. \- Kate winked at her playfully. - It's actually easier without the distractions.

-Right, right...

The two hugged, and went their separate ways, Ellen stopping at the school gate before entering. Normally she'd be way more bothered about Kate skipping class. Then again, normally Kate herself wouldn't skip class. Weird how these things happened.

Weirder still that Ellen couldn't tell if last night had been the first deaths since she'd become a Magical Girl or not.

Ryder leaned on her locker door slightly while dealing with the combination lock. She hadn't slept a wink that night. Never a pleasant sight, that, and she'd made sure to stick around the hospital, both for the follow-up questions and to make sure her team members were okay.

It had been bad luck, having a girl go through a first night like that. There was no point in recriminating herself, of course, but had Ryder known what she was sending them into... She felt the need to make it up to Ellen in some way. Hard to think of what, though, and still  there was the matter of giving her a route tonight so she'd have a proper first night out as a member of the team... presuming she'd still want that.

Those thoughts were interrupted, however. While she picked up her books, Ryder couldn't help but notice a presence on the other side of the open locker door. She could feel the wide, devilish grin from through the metal, and took no time answering.

-Maddie. \- She closed the door and looked at the girl. - How was the night?

Maddie was a pink-colored creature of chaos. She wore socks with sandals. She wrote the right answers in the wrong order in tests. She ate sandwiches with the most wrong combinations possible. She used wrong words in phrases to make people say rude things by accident. She liked raisins. And some days, just to mess with people, she'd arrive at school dressed all prim and proper, and be a nice, adorable young woman, before it was revealed she'd done something to that would leave everyone flabbergasted. Today seemed to be one of those days: Maddie wore the full uniform, impeccably pressed and prepared, but also wore a small bottle of honey were her tie would usually be. Ryder, old veteran of Maddie's uniqueness, immediately picked up what the idea was.

Beside Maddie was her very tired partner, Jasmine, a girl with very short white hair and an equally short amount of patience. She carried a bunch of tiny papers on her hand, and spoke up first.

-Ryder, we talked to Team Rescue yesterday before you showed up. Logan gave me this \- she handed Ryder a small envelope - and said you shouldn't worry about it too much yet, that it's just an idea, and you had a rough night yesterday, so there's no hurry. And I agree.

-Yeah, you should really take a rest tonight, dude. Ain't no joke what happened yesterday.

-Thank you, girls, but I'm alright.

-Also, Maddie here decided to scare one of Team Rescue's girls when we found them, and now owes her a juice box.

Maddie didn't even try to defend herself. She just chuckled.

-Worth it.

-Oh, and here are the other teams' notes from yesterday.

Jasmine handed her the smaller stack of papers.

-Cool. Other than that, you two had a quiet night?

-Yeah. Routes mostly empty. We thought of helping the other teams cover Alchemical's area, but figured there'd be plenty of noise there already. Plus, Jasmine thought we should inform the other hospitals first, and one thing led to the other...

-I get it. Thanks. Good job, you two. See you later in the meeting.

The two girls nodded and Ryder started leaving, knowing that Maddie would be annoyed she didn't ask about the honey bottle. Partway through leaving, however, an idea came to her and she turned around.

-Hey, are either of you free tonight after class?

The two girls, who were leaving themselves, took a look at each other.

-I'm not. \- Said Jasmine. - Dawn asked me to help with something at her house before we go to the meeting.

-I am. What's the deets?

-Well, I was thinking, what with everything that happened, someone should help the new girl, Ellie, train and get a bit more used to the whole Courier thing, teach her the basic stuff. Since she barely got through patrol before being attacked last night.

-That's not a bad idea.

-I don't know what her class is, though. Anybody knows that?

-Phoebe would probably know, she mentioned having seen her before. \- Remarked Jasmine, turning to Ryder with excitement. - Maybe you could ask her for help?

-Nah \- intervened Maddie - I got a class with Phoebe right now, I'll ask her myself. She can help train the newbie too.

-That'll be it, then, thanks. See you guys later at the meeting! \- Said Ryder, quickly leaving the hallway to get to her class and avoid Maddie bringing up what she was planning.

Ellie had a feeling two of her new team members wanted to talk to her. It was just a feeling, based on nothing but her own intuition and the fact that both of their heads were very conspicuously poking into the classroom door during recess.

-That's her, right? \- Asked the pink-haired one.

-I'm pretty sure that's her. \- Said the yellow one.

-You think she can hear us? \- Said the pink one, staring directly at Ellie.

-I think she can see us. \- responded the yellow one.

-I think you're both dorks. \- Said a third voice, who had the good sense of not doing what the other two were.

The pink girl started arguing with that, and the yellow one took the chance to walk into the classroom.

-Hi! I'm Phoebe! You're Ellie, right? We saw each other at the team meeting yesterday. \- She said, sitting in the chair in front. Phoebe irradiated warmth and friendliness. She had a sweet smile and large eyes, and wore cute little bunny earrings, as well as half of a Best Friends necklace over the uniform's dress shirt. Her hair, curly and golden, was up to her shoulders. - We didn't get to talk much before going out on patrol yesterday, but I wanted to say hi to you properly.

Noises came from outside as the other two girls started arguing louder.

-Are they ok?

-Oh, they're fine. Maddie likes to annoy Helen a bit. Well, she likes to annoy everyone a bit, but she's a good girl.

-I see...

-I imagine you've got somewhere else to be right now, but we were thinking: do you have anything to do after class today?

-Me? No, I... \- Ellen took a second to think if she and Kate were meeting today. - I think I'm free, yeah. Why?

-Well, don't tell her we told you this, but Ryder is a bit worried because of how things went yesterday, and she asked us to help you train a bit, get a better idea what being part of Team Courier is. If you'd like.

-Yeah, ok. Seems like a good idea.

-Oh, wonderful! \- Cheered Phoebe. \- You're gonna love it, you'll see! You can meet wait for us outside the school building after class, then! It'll be great fun, you'll...

Phoebe stopped cold on her tracks, glaring at something. It took a second to understand that she was looking at Ellie's lunch.

-Is that all you're eating?

Ellie stared in confusion between the girl and her own lunchbox. There were two sandwiches there, and some change for her to buy juice. Before Ellie could respond, Phoebe opened her bag and produced from it an apple and a neatly-wrapped slice of cake.

-Here, take these. They'll help you get some more energy and keep you healthy. And don't worry about me, I bring spares. There's always friends who I can help with some good food.

It was an order, and she did not wait for a response, shoving the food into Ellie's hands, waving a cheerful goodbye, and leaving the classroom in tiny hops.

The people in the club were very weird, Ellie concluded.

As promised, Ellie met her seniors just outside school after class. Phoebe and the pink-haired girl, called Maddie (who, rather bafflingly, wore a tiny bottle of honey around her neck, for reasons Ellie couldn't begin to imagine), were already there, waiting for a third girl. Said girl, Phoebe's partner Helen, eventually arrived, accompanied by two others: a green girl, and Ryder herself, who apparently shared classes with them. She was happy to see Ellie had accepted the opportunity to train, but declined to join, citing a meeting of some kind, and promised to see everyone at the team meeting later. Helen, who was brown-haired, invited the green girl to join them, who agreed. At least that's what Phoebe said happened; Ellie just saw them quietly nod at each other. Apparently they had communicated through that.

The girls moved to an empty field elsewhere on school grounds, where apparently the soccer team normally trained. Maddie mentioned that they used to go to a different field, but apparently Hearful Punch's club used that field these days. Once there, the girls split: Helen and the green girl went to sit at the stands (Helen wanted to finish her homework, said Phoebe, translating another quiet nod from her partner), while Ellie, Phoebe and Maddie set up some boxes and obstacles.

-So \- started Phoebe after they were all set up. - What we basically do is, once per week, we set up a little obstacle course like this, and chase each other! Pretty simple stuff, but it lets you warm up a bit. Plus, the idea is to use your powers as much as possible, so you're going to have to improvise and learn more about what you can do with them outside of battle. You know, movement, defense, that kind of thing.

-Also, no asking what people's powers are the first time around. Learning's half the fun. \- Said Maddie in a devilish grin. She caught Phoebe giving her a very cross glare, however. - Well, alright. Hey Helen! Show the new girl your power!

In the distance, Helen transformed without moving, then raised her arm to show a sword, before going back to normal with an equal amount of fanfare. Phoebe glared at Maddie even harder, and was met with a wide grin. The green girl, Chris, stood up and walked towards them.

If Ellie had to hazard a guess, she'd say Chris was, at worst, a year younger than Ryder. She was certainly just as tall as her. She had her bright green hair short with an undercut, and, having already transformed, wore what could be best described as a green cocktail dress under a dark brown leather jacket, alongside gloves and a pair of leather boots, as well as ripped leggings.

Ellie thought Chris looked _extremely cool_ in her Magical Girl form.

-Maddie, you chase me. I've been wanting a rematch for a while. \- She said.  


Maddie's eyes grew the size of dinner plates, and she hopped up and down in her spot very excitedly while Chris walked to the other side of the field. Phoebe giggled.

-You should thank Chris later. She and Maddie are two of the toughest girls in the team to go against, both in a chase and in a fight.

-I'm still coming out on top, though. I've won 5 out of our 7 matches. \- Maddie said, transforming. Her dress was... odd. It was a simple sleeveless dress with elbow-length gloves and knee-high boots, but it had a very... arrowy pattern, with all sorts of straight and bendy lines, all of it in pink, red and white.

-And yet Ryder beats you 8 to 1. \- Said Phoebe out of the corner of her mouth, clearly her revenge for Maddie's earlier joke as the other girl instantly deflated and looked annoyed. - Well, Ellie, you'll chase me. I'll be on the other side of the field as well. You can try helping Maddie if you want, but... I wouldn't suggest it? She and Chris get very enthusiastic. They'll start sparring and everything. Me, we'll say you just need to touch me once and we'll consider it a turn. Oh, and we're timing this, by the way.  


Having said that, Phoebe also began to make her way down the field, transforming once she was at the other end. Ellie did the same, and she and Maddie set out at the same time.

The obstacle course, as it turned out, was very simple to navigate as a Magical Girl. Ellie didn't have super long jumps like other girls, but she could still clear some of the obstacles with a lot more ease than she expected. It took her no time to get to the end of it, from where she spotted Phoebe, standing still in her spot. Her dress had very much the look of a classical Magical Girl, with plenty of ruffles and a very puffy skirt, and she looked almost distracted standing in her spot. Easy prey, Ellie thought as she jumped towards the girl. Only when closing the distance it occurred to her that it wouldn't be that simple, and so she liquefied the ground around Phoebe, to trick her into stepping on water when she tried to escape.

Phoebe made no such attempt, however, and when a resigned Ellie simply landed in front of her and touched her shoulder... her hand went straight through the girl, as did the rest of Ellie, and she fell on the ground herself. Phoebe now stood on top of an obstacle on the course, waving cheerfully.

As she got up, Ellie noticed that Maddie hadn't gotten to Chris yet. Or, rather, Maddie seemed to be waiting on the course, hidden behind one obstacle. Chris picked up on this and raised her hand towards the course. Nothing happened for a second, but then electricity arced through her arm and she shot a bolt of lightning. Instantly, Chris' own body vanished, and when the bolt hit it's solid target she instead appeared there, essentially landing on a wall above Maddie from which the two started sparring, with Chris having the upper hand.

This gave Ellie an idea, and she moved towards Phoebe. Clearly she had some kind of teleporting power and Ellie had no idea how to deal with that, but she had a thought that she wanted to try out. She jumped into the obstacle course and followed after Phoebe, who was now running around it normally, evading Ellie. They nearly touched once or twice, but it felt more to Ellie like she was being underestimated than actually improving. In a bit of a rush, she instead separated, going down a path where Phoebe couldn't see her. If she had calculated it correctly, Phebe would be just behind a crate ahead of her in a few seconds, and so Ellie jumped towards it, planning to make it liquid upon impact so she could go through it.

And, completely bungling the timing, she instead faceplanted onto the crate, then flopped onto the floor. Frustrated, she undid her transformation, admitting her defeat as Phoebe came around the corner.

-Oh no! \- She exclaimed, worried. - Are you hurt?

She asked that and froze in her position, only to immediately reappear right in front of Ellie, scaring the girl back into the ground.

-Sorry, sorry! I forget how my powers look to people! \- She said, undoing her own transformation and helping Ellie up. - I haven't used the illusion on anyone for a long time now.

-Illusion?

-Yeah. It's my power: I make a copy of myself, and my real body gets hidden from view. Only works on the people who are looking directly at me when I use it, but it's pretty useful. Plus I get a lot faster while the illusion is still up.

-That explains a lot. I thought you had teleporting powers of some kind.

-No, no, that's more Chris' thing. She has that neat teleport lightning thing that you saw, it's a really nice-looking one.

-Don't help her much, though! \- Came the loud voice of Maddie from around the boxes as she and a de-transformed Chris came around the corner. - Chalk up another win for Team Maddie!

She raised her hand for a high-five, which was sheepishly returned by Phoebe. Chris simply jumped onto a box and sat on it.

-You're a good fighter, Maddie, no surprise there. And you, \- She pointed at Ellie - Ellen, right? Don't worry about losing now. Nobody ever gets Phoebe or her powers the first time. Even Ryder took some time to find a workaround. It's all about learning and trying out new stuff.

Ellie smiled and thanked her. She then turned to Maddie.

-So what are your powers? Yours are the only ones I didn't get to see.

-Oh, you probably saw them. \- Said Chris. - They're just hard to notice if you don't know what you're looking for.

Maddie picked up a small ball from the field and held it in her open hand. It stood still for a second... then suddenly shot to the side, completely unprompted, leaving a very confused Ellen watching as the ball cleared the field and fell into the stands, scaring the life out of Helen. Ellie looked at Maddie, hoping for an explanation.

-What I can do \- she said, looking supremely smug - is apply force in any direction and in any amount. So long as it's a thing I'm touching, I can change it's force and direction however I want.

Just to prove her point, she then lifted herself a meter off the ground without moving a single muscle, looking even more smug.

-That said, I don't do it to people or monsters. Way harder than it's worth most of the time. I don't even use it on myself much, gives me whiplash. \- She said, rubbing the back of her neck and undoing her transformation.

-You'd be surprised how many uses she finds for that. \- Remarked Phoebe. - Still, we should go a few more rounds before heading to the team meeting. Let's try one more with our current pairs, then you'll be the one being chased, ok?

The girls started walking back to their places. In the end, though, Ellie couldn't resist.

-Wait, Maddie. \- She asked. Chris began to move away preemptively. - Why _are_ you wearing a bottle of honey around your neck? 

-Oh, this? \- Maddie's eyes shone brightly at the question - It's just some necktar.

Ellie regretted asking for the rest of the night.


	3. Hear Me Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communications are established. Ellie learns new things about everyone involved. Dawn gets to do something in the story, finally.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

It was an odd feeling, like something was resisting her at every step. She attempted to press on, but it kept resisting, like trying to keep an inflated ball underwater. No matter what she tried, there was simply no progress.

-What are you doing? \- Asked Dawn. Ellie quickly removed her hand from within a wall.

-Oh, just... checking. Trying something out.

Ellie had been thinking all day about what she'd done the night before. Although admittedly she'd never really tried that, simply sticking her hand in a wall to remove something from inside it was something she had never done, especially so easily. It was the whole reason she tried liquefying that crate earlier during training: to see if getting the timing was something she could just... do, now, on instinct. That test had failed, she thought as she rubbed her still hurting nose, so she was now checking how it felt to liquefy a wall through the barrier. And like she thought, it was not only weird, but it wasn't the feeling she had when pulling that move off on the previous night.

There had been theories and gossip before about girls who were powerful enough to blast through the barrier, but Ellie strongly doubted that was her case. That said, she had definitely done something unusual the previous night in order to save both of their lives. Usually, sticking her hand in a liquefied wall was the same as doing so in a pool, and right now it was a much murkier feeling. Last night, however, she'd barely felt the wall. Or at least she thought she had? The details of that fight were still somewhat hazy on her memory. Apparently nearly dying did that to people.

Oh well. She wasn't going to figure that out right now, anyways.

The barrier tonight was a light, soft pink with white-green windows. Ellie and Dawn had been given hospital duty for their second night out together, as Ryder was hoping they'd get something a bit easier than their first one. The idea was simple: run from one hospital to the other, delivering messages and supplies from one to another in a circular route that took them through every hospital in the city, however many times they could complete that circuit in one night. Dawn was talking to people while Ellie wrote down everything in their log, so as to keep times and details straight. Right now, however, one of the Team Rescue girls called Logan had called Dawn to the side to talk about something, so Ellie was left trying out her powers on the outside of the hospital for a few minutes.

-So... how often does a night like yesterday happen? \- Asked Ellie, trying to break the silence of the night.

-You mean the monsters.

-Yeah, you know, with all the monsters and the... things happening to the... other teams...

It only occurred to Ellie why bringing that up might be a bad idea after she had already said it. Dawn didn't look at her, but she certainly seemed bothered by being reminded of her fallen comrade. An awkward silence ensued. Well done, Ellie.

-I mean, like, with all the monsters and the like! We got attacked by a lot of them all of a sudden, I thought it was just a few that appeared at a time, you know? Thank goodness I had you with me, I mean imagine what would happen to a girl without a partner in a situation like that!

Once more, what she'd implied only occurred to Ellie after she said it. Dawn continued to ignore her for it, and an even more awkward silence ensued. Well done, Ellie!

She decided to shut up for the night. Truth is, Ellie had never thought much about making friends. She wasn't especially bad about it or anything, but she had already been friends with Kate for a long time, and Kate's natural niceness tended to attract people, so she just kind of interacted with those. Actively trying to make friends with someone, let alone someone who had just recently lost a friend, was entirely out of her wheelhouse. Plus, Dawn didn't seem like she wanted a friend. She was certainly very quiet and short-spoken. Ellie wondered if that was related to her loss.

-Not always.

-Huh?

-The monsters. \- Said Dawn, still not turning back to look at Ellie. - Not always. There have been more lately.

Dawn stopped and turned around on her heels, to stare Ellie in the face.

-Speaking of. Thank you. For saving me. I didn't yesterday. Didn't find a good moment today either. So thank you.

Dawn then very quickly turned her back again. It occurred to Ellie that perhaps she wasn't the only one having difficulty with this. She smiled and hopped a few steps to stand beside Dawn instead of behind her.

-Well, you're welcome for it, although I don't think there's that much to thank me for. You did your best to try and keep me safe as well.

-Not enough. I usually fight better. Lots of small enemies are trouble.

-Well, you're going to have plenty of chance to show that. Phoebe and the others helped me train a bit today after class, and I can tell you I am far from being any good at this.

-You'll improve. Phoebe is a good training partner. She's nice.

-She seems a sweetheart.

-She's a good friend. A bit mom-like. She'll spoil you with food if you let her.

The conversation died down. Dawn seemed to fidget a bit, or at least Ellie thought she did, so she decided to pull the subject back up.

-Let's see, who else was there... There was Helen, but she barely spoke at all.

-Helen's very quiet. Speaks little.

-You're one to talk. \- Ellie playfully poked Dawn with her shoulder. The older girl blushed somewhat.

-I... I just try to be efficient with how I talk! \- She turned away, embarrassed. - Helen's more quiet in general. She prefers not to talk.

-You must get along well. \- Chuckled Ellie. - Let's see... Oh, Chris was there! She's cool.

-She's interesting. Good fighter. We don't talk much.

-Hm... what about Maddie? She's... a person.

-She got you with a pun?

-Ugh, yeah... Neck-tar.

-She does that. \- Ellie could swear she heard a giggle coming from Dawn. - Never engage her. Maddie does big jokes, or sets up small, terrible ones. Easy to spot both things. You can't avoid the first. Ignore the second. She gets huffy.

-I'll keep that in mind. Also, she didn't have her partner today, what was her name...

-Jasmine. Good girl. Bit too serious. She was helping me tonight, with...

Dawn fell quiet, differently this time. Something more serious. Ellie pondered that maybe this had to do with her former partner as well. It sure felt like the silence they had earlier.

-So what's the message they wanted us to deliver?

Dawn was caught by surprise. She fumbled into her satchel for a second and took out a small package.

-Deliver this to Team Recovery at the right location.

-Right, I noted the place down. It's nearby one of the hospitals we have to go next, right?

-Yes. We... wait. You noted it down. Why did you ask, then?

-No reason. \- Ellen smiled. - Shall we use that bird of yours?

A very tiny smile seemed to appear on Dawn's face.

A few minutes later, the two of them landed on a small plaza. Ellie could definitely get used to riding around on that bird. It was much more pleasant when she didn't get violently thrown off of it to fall on the ground below.

The plaza was quite nice, if small, with a cute little park in the middle. The girl they were supposed to meet wasn't around, though, which complicated things. After about ten minutes, Dawn told Ellie to wait on the ground while she went above the buildings to scout the surrounding area and see if she could find the girl. Down there, Ellie took note of how quiet this night was. Usually you would hear sounds of fights in the distance, or girls running about somewhere, or at least the wind. But tonight everything seemed perfectly still. She didn't like that; still air, one of her dads had said, was an indicator of bad storms to come. Ellie had no idea whether that was true or not. She just liked feeling the wind on her face.

What she did, however, hear, was the sudden arrival of a boy, dressed in civilian clothes, running away from a monster in one of the nearby streets. She turned around and barely caught a glimpse of the boy running past her sight, before also seeing the considerably bigger monster that chased him. It did not look friendly. Ellie couldn't see Dawn anywhere, and calling her yielded no results either.

She turned around and ran down the street after them. She'd be fine: she had a flare on her satchel, standard issue by Ryder's orders. Ellie turned a corner and saw it: a big, bat-like creature, bigger than herself and certainly uglier, was hanging from a wall and poised to attack the civilian. Without hesitation, Ellie touched the wall and made the part the monster was hanging from into liquid, causing it to fall while she ran and helped the boy back on his feet. She grabbed him by the arm and they ran, leaving the creature struggling to raise itself off the floor.

-Why are you out on the street?

-I'm sorry! I, I just wanted to find Heartful Punch to see her fighting! I thought I'd be safe if I hanged around where she was!

-Are you insane? It's dangerous to go out like that!

-I'm so sorry!

The monster behind them freed itself and gave chase, climbing around the walls at alarming speeds and catching up quickly. Ellen threw the boy into a nearby alley to keep him safe, but this meant taking a hit herself, which she did, landing a good ways away from the creature. The good news was that the monster seemed entirely focused on her. The bad news was also that. It was fine, though. She just needed to use the flare, and...

Her hand reached for a satchel that wasn't there. Looking around, she saw it lying on the ground behind the monster.

Ellie made a mental note to start thinking her actions through before acting if she survived this.

She had no idea how to fight that thing. It was rather large, so it didn't seem too fast...

The thing slashed with one of it's claws, nearly tearing Ellie's head off and certainly doing a lot of harm to a nearby section of floor. The Barrier barely held against it's strike. On instinct, Ellie reached for the wall and liquefied it, causing the monster to once more crash towards the ground. She then liquefied the ground under it, trying to make it sink. But then it screeched.

It was a loud, high-pitched noise, powerful enough to hurt, and it left Ellie disoriented by pain. She stumbled backwards, clutching her ears in pain while the creature righted itself and stood on four limbs. Ellie couldn't hear properly now, and felt a bit dizzy. The boy she'd saved was still hiding in the corner, within her field of view. She had to keep going.

Ellie snapped her fingers quickly. No sound. She couldn't hear at all. Fine.

She took a step back, so when the creature lunged at her she threw herself at the ground to avoid it, rolling underneath it and turning the floor to liquid again. As she skidded to a stop and the monster once more righted itself, Ellie ran to a wall and slammed her hand against it, to no effect other than pain. No reusing that trick. The monster, now caught up, did a much better job, destroying the wall and taking Ellie off her feet for a second. Without stopping there, it attacked the ground, forcing Ellie to crawl away from it without getting up. She needed a different plan.

As her back hit a wall, Ellie saw the creature's claws come down for her, and dodged out of the way, letting it sink into the now liquid ground. Having gotten the creature stuck, she ran past it towards her satchel and grabbed the flare. A quick thought came to her and she aimed it at the creature instead. Would that work? She was still dizzy, however, and that was a risky shot to take with a civilian nearby. As the creature freed itself and lunged toward her far too quickly, Ellie tried raising her hand to shoot into the sky, far too late as the creature was almost on top of her.

Then, from above, Dawn landed on top of the monster's head, slamming it onto the floor as she jumped to stand in front of Ellie. She tried to communicate something, which Ellie couldn't hear. Annoyed, Dawn detransformed, then transformed back. Ellie did the same.

-Now can you hear me?

-Oh! Yes! It's still a bit fuzzy, but yeah.

-Good. This isn't permanent. You'll be fine.

The creature started rising back up behind Dawn. Ellie started signaling to that.

-Don't worry about the boy. I found Team Recovery, they're getting him to safety.

Ellie started pointing more enthusiastically towards the bat. Dawn raised her arm to the side, still not looking at it.

-Good job staying alive, but be careful with monsters like these. \- The bat was now standing, and lunging towards Dawn. - You're pretty new. Leave guys like that...

A loud sound of whistling came by, and suddenly something shot through the monster, creating a hole in it as Dawn's eagle flew through one of the bat's wings, then calmly landed on Dawn's outstretched hand.

-...to me.

The bat creature fell to the ground, screeching loudly but clearly still alive. Dawn turned around to look at it.

-Fine.

Her eagle flew off again, drawing circles over the bat. The creature tried letting loose another screech, but Dawn, with a flourish of her hand, caused the eagle's air trail to expand quickly, throwing the monster off-balance and stopping it's attempt. As the eagle flew upwards, Dawn ran towards the monster, avoiding it's attack and jumping onto it's body. The creature attempted to shake her off, but Dawn simply stepped onto the wall and jumped back from there, landing a kick on it's maw. This left her completely open and in the air, however, and the creature wasted no time, taking the advantage to attack.

And then Dawn's eagle flew down from the skies, piercing the monster once more, leaving a trail of air in it's wake that Dawn, with a simple gesture, expanded into a wind pillar and blew the monster apart, leaving Dawn to simply land amidst the few smoky remains.

Ellie, for her part, came to the conclusion that she had indeed joined the right team.


	4. Spotlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a calm night, Ryder takes some time to think about recent events and how things will be from here on out.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

The figure of a girl in black cut gently across the background of the multicolored barrier that night, heading where every Magical Girl heads: onwards.

Ryder was very satisfied with this last week.

After what had admittedly been a rough start, she had been able to properly welcome Ellie into the club and make her a full-fledged member. The younger girl was learning quickly, and although Dawn still seemed a bit closed-off, she had good hopes for the two of them. Ellie had certainly grown friendlier with the other girls: apparently she was eating lunch with Maddie and Phoebe now, and they were helping her memorize some of the city's landmarks, while Dawn had been handing out pointers about the different types of monsters and their weak spots. There was still a lot of hesitation there on Dawn's part, something less apparent to those who hadn't known her for that long, but then that wasn't entirely surprising. That they'd grown a closer at all was already faster progress than expected, especially for just five or six days.

Herself, Ryder was growing fond of Ellie as well. They hadn't talked much due to very inconvenient schedules, but after adjusting to the team the girl had shown herself dependable and easy to deal with. She made sure to clear any doubts she had, did her best to learn, and was already doing her courier logs all on her own. Looking over her progress, it occurred to Ryder sometime during the last day or so that as the team grew, she would be less able to interact with all of them. A weird thought, that, that the more successful she was, the more unfamiliar each individual member would be. Although since she would stop being a Magical Girl somewhat soon, maybe that wouldn't come to be a problem to her. It was something to be concerned about as it happened.

Ryder had also had significant success in improving Team Courier's standing. Thanks to her good old friend Logan (to whom Ryder now owed a slice of pie for her trouble), Ryder had finally gotten the team a manager: an old guy named Cyrus Trey.

Now, admittedly, Mr. Trey and Ryder hadn't gotten off to a good start. Logan swore by the guy's skills as a manger, but she'd neglected to tell Ryder that he was... well, he was kind of an ass, Ryder thought at first. Immediately after introducing themselves, Ryder had told him of her efforts to promote Team Courier thus far, and the man took no time in pointing out to her just how wrong and misguided her efforts had been. To hear Logan say, what he had in skill he lacked in social graces, and Ryder, who had responded to that by almost getting into a shouting match with the guy, agreed. That said, Mr. Trey not only disarmed the argument that was about to start, but then pointed out the good sides of what she'd done, then suggested new ideas, which he assured Ryder he would only move onto with her agreement. After a long meeting, they'd settled on starting with setting up an interview and a photo op, and he said he would research good companies to produce Team Courier-themed satchel bags.

Then, to Ryder's complete surprise, she got a call from him the very next morning, in which he claimed he had scored the interview already and that it would be done as soon as she agreed to, with whichever members she decided should participate, and that he already had two suppliers bidding for the rights to make the satchels as well. This cleared Ryder's doubts entirely, and on that same day she signed him on as the Team's manager and asked for a few days to see which girl would take part in the interview.

Logan was ecstatic to hear that. Cyrus, as it turned out, had been her manager, and she was worried about how they had parted ways, what with her leaving to lead Team Rescue in her last few months as a Magical Girl. They both knew she would eventually do that as she prepared for life after her duty, but he was still critical of the idea, claiming it was a waste of her skills and that she should move on already, while she was primarily worried due to having been his only client, and wanted him to have a good team to manage. Ryder, for her part, was glad her issue was of help to both of them in some way.

The only thing this week that still bothered her, sadly, was Dawn's state, which she had hoped would improve with Ellie's arrival, but had instead gone the opposite way: Dawn was becoming more reclusive, despite the other girls in the Team helping her out. Ellie, as the others had made Ryder aware, was becoming increasingly worried about this, a sentiment that was shared by all. Ryder knew her friend was dealing badly with... well, everything, but she also knew that trying to push her would only make things worse. Dawn was still in denial about the whole thing, after all, despite it being almost three whole weeks since.

Ryder wondered if perhaps having Dawn take part in the interview was a good idea. She was the senior member now, and given her partnership with the youngest member they seemed like a natural pair to include, but it was hard to tell if Dawn would respond well to being included in a PR move like that. Sure, she'd promised before that she would help when they made the team, but that was before...

Ryder shook her head. She was getting distracted in the middle of patrol. There would be whole days still to think about all that. Right now, she had to...

From the corner of her eye, Ryder saw a girl, apparently very young and dressed like a civilian, calling out to her from down in the street. Ryder couldn't see the girl too well from where she was, but she was certainly summoning Night Courier. Maybe a monster had broken through the barrier somewhere?

She couldn't afford not to check. Ryder jumped down the building and into the street, as the girl ran into the alley she had been peeking out of. Following her, Ryder entered the alley and immediately found the issue: monsters, five of them, in a small cul-de-sac in the middle of the alley. The girl was nowhere to be seen, but that was understandable. Still, no issue. Ryder took form and prepared to dive into the shadows.

Suddenly, light. Everywhere, as if from all sides, flooding the entire alley and almost blinding Ryder, several powerful lights turned on and focused on her, stopping the girl from being able to look anywhere clearly. She quickly looked around, trying to understand what was happening, and decided to retreat into the shadows... but there were none. She had no out.

Fear overcame Ryder for an instant, enough for a monster to catch up and slash her in the back. A light wound, but still enough to instill in her the sense of danger. On instinct, she swung her arm backwards, missing entirely and leaving herself open for another monster, which tackled her to the ground. Years of experience told Ryder to not leave herself there, and so she rolled back on her feet immediately. Still unable to see, she punched the air in front of her, this time making contact with something. Just a graze, however, and one that was met back with a poweful counter, sending Ryder at the wall beside her. She slid to the ground, barely supporting herself to avoid being completely down.

Ryder pushed herself off the wall with all her strength, slamming into a monster she couldn't see. Did it die from that? Maybe, but she couldn't hear. What was the sound of a monster turning to dust anyways? She didn't have time to think about that. Some other monster bit her leg, and she dropped to her knee, punching the thing away, the first solid punch she'd given that whole night... cut short by another monster batting at her. She fell backwards onto the floor and immediately tried getting back up again, this time failing as another monster took advantage and hit the arm she used for support. Ryder fell face-first on the ground, and for the first time in a long while the girl abandoned all fighting knowledge and simply pushed herself off the ground and ran, until she collided with a wall.

She was going to die. She was alone, she was cornered, and she was going to die. And nobody would find her, nobody would-

No. Screw that. She needed to calm. Down.

Ryder closed her eyes. They were being useless anyways, no point in keeping them open. Focus on the sounds, she thought. You've nearly died before. There were no shadows, there were five monsters, there was one Ryder.

The sound of scraping came from her right and left sides, and on instinct, Ryder stepped back and attacked to the left.

Contact. Her swinging arm hit a monster and she could hear it land away from her. The other, right in front, sounded like it landed on the ground. Good. Ryder stopped and reoriented herself, with the landed monster on her left. Where were the others?

No time. A growling sound from behind her said it was time to dodge, and so she did, moving to the side... and noticing that the air was warmer there.

A moment of inspiration passed her by, and Ryder caught the airborne monster, instead throwing it behind herself.

The sound of something metallic crashing had never been so satisfying. Something else jumped at Ryder, but this time there was something for her to do. Ryder let her body fall to the ground, the monsters passing over her... and creating a shadow in the spot that was no longer illuminated.

Ryder reappeared outside the alley, safe.

No time to leave yet, though. She entered the alley again, and even with her vision slightly impaired from the change in lighting, she could still see what was ahead of her: five large spotlights pointed where she had been, one of them now broken... and a girl standing behind one of them.

Enraged, Ryder jumped at the girl, but her injuries were catching up to her. The girl blocked her attack and threw Ryder back into the spotlight arena, alongside the monsters.

Fine, she thought. You want a show.

A monster ran up to Ryder, and she kicked it away, putting all her power in that kick. In doing so, however, she extended her arm, and another nearby monster took the chance, biting her upper arm.

This one, she felt. The thing's fangs dug deep into her arm, and she could feel they wouldn't leave any time soon.

Power through, she thought. Ryder twisted her arm, causing the wound to grow, and clamped the forearm over the creature's maw, preventing it from opening, then grabbed it's torso and dropped both it and herself on the ground, crushing it against the floor with her own weight and an enraged howl. It turned to dust instantly, and she pushed herself back up on her feet with her good arm. The other one flared up.

Power through, she thought, clenching her hand on the bad arm and punching an incoming monster hard enough to turn it to dust on the spot.

Power through. She grabbed one monster and swung it at another. _Something_ turned into dust.

Power through. A monster tackled her. She stood her ground, grabbing it by it's neck.

Power through. The remaining free monster ran towards her. It met her satchel. Then her foot.

Power through. The last monster hit the ground, and Ryder stomped it's head into the ground.

She heaved and wheezed. Pain flared up from everywhere. The lights had turned off; the spotlights no longer there. Whoever that was, they had run away.

Ryder reached into her satchel and fired a flare up into the air, stumbling her way out of the alley.

A group of girls, she couldn't tell who, ran in her direction. The world started blinking around her. She was losing consciousness. She needed to decide on her last words, just in case.

The Night Courier raised her good arm triumphantly.

-I... am incredibly awesome!

Then fell unconscious.


	5. Take A Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The consequences of the previous night begin to take place. Ellie has several issues on her mind. Team Courier deals with internal issues. Possibilities appear for the newest mystery. Dawn reconsiders a choice.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

The door opened, and all ten of them poured into the hospital room, rushing with questions and worries.

-I'm ok, guys, I really am!

-Ryder, \- chided Dawn - we're not blind.

A fair point. Ryder sat on her hospital bed, covered in bruises, with her arm on a sling and a very heavily bandaged leg. Also, a red nose from when she slammed into a wall.

-Well, yeah, it looks bad \- she answered sheepishly - but it's really better than it looks, those healer girls work miracles sometimes. In fact, the only reason they're keeping me here is because they haven't healed my leg yet. I'd have wheeled myself out already if trying hadn't made people _very_ angry.

Some of the girls laughed at that. Dawn shot Ryder a very ugly glare.

-Anyway. I'm still stuck here for the night, and the doctors insisted that I skip a few days so my arm can heal properly, so you girls are going to have to cover my route as well for that time. I'll get some instructions written down for you all and have Logan deliver them to you before patrol tonight.

-Ryder, you really don't have to. You should rest. \- Said Phoebe, soon joined by Maddie.

-Yeah, don't worry about it. We'll split stuff ourselves no problem.

-Girls, come on. I'm stuck in the hospital all day with nothing much to do. I'm planning your routes. Also, give me your logs from last night as well, I might actually read some of them this time out of sheer boredom.

She was insistent, and so after some complaints here and there, the girls all handed their logs in. The group then moved on to talking about their nights, some of them offering to help Ryder with homework and the like, and after a while of chatting, Ryder ushered her whole team out, so they wouldn't be late for class on her account. They still stuck around for a little while after that to make sure she was ok, and only then did they leave.

On her bed, Ryder clutched the logs in her hands. Good girls, all of them. Which made this even harder than it already was.

She hadn't told anyone the truth about last night.

The official story, as she'd told authorities, was that she was caught off-guard by a larger than normal group of monsters and just barely come out on top. Nowhere did she mention the truth, but she knew it: last night had been an attempt on her life. At least one girl, quite likely more, had set up an arena to cancel her powers and get her killed by monsters.

Ryder, of course, knew better than to try and report on that. There was history about girls getting away with all sorts of things and she knew it well. It was a pity that Ryder hadn't seen the girl more clearly herself, to at least have a decent idea of who it had been. Would have helped a lot. As it was, there were very few leads to follow, and it was entirely on Ryder to find a way to follow them if she wanted to find this girl and build a proper case against her. Coming to any authority without that would just get a few false reassurances and nothing else.

So she turned to what few leads she had, and what she could do with those. Little of it could be done from her hospital room; ideally, she would go to class today and ask around, check a few stories. Possibly, to Ryder's dread, she would have to talk to... _her_. 

Ryder shook that idea out of her head. She _would_ talk to her. This had been a murder attempt, there wasn't room for not liking things. This had, for all she cared, been a murder attempt, and if Ryder's hunch was right...

She separated the girls' logs and began reading them.

What was their route tonight again? She should check the note she'd received. Maybe that would help? Then again it's not like Dawn had any doubts she was capable of remembering things. And how would that help with the problem anyways?

-Ellie?

Although on the other hand, maybe that would help Ellie herself? Memorizing their route could help her deal with those times she was alone. She still hadn't managed to go through more than five minutes on her own without getting in trouble. That time with the bat was still on her mind, and it's not like she could avoid it for the rest of her career.

-Ellie.

But wait, this wasn't the time to be worried about that. She needed to work out what was happening with Dawn. Things had already been a bit cold before Ryder had nearly died, and... oh man, Ryder had nearly died, hadn't she? I mean, she looked fine on the hospital, but...

-Ellie!

The scare shook her back into the real world. Ellie was with some of the girls from the team, heading towards the cafeteria during recess. Not that she had noticed, the schoolday had passed Ellie by completely. She looked around to reorient herself: they were taking a table for themselves, with Helen heading to get a tray. Phoebe, Chris and Maddie were still with Ellie, all of them looking concerned about her...

No, wait. Ellie did a double-take. Maddie had wings. Perfectly normal uniform, but with wings on the back. Ellie tried to avoid showing that she noticed it, so of course Maddie realized immediately, and opened up into a grin.

-Are you okay? \- Asked Phoebe.

-Yeah, I'm... \- she couldn't help it. - Why are you wearing those?

-I dunno. \- Smirked Maddie. - I'm just winging it.

A long, painful silence took place.

-Anyhow, I'm... wait, no. Maddie. Why are you wearing those today?

All three girls looked puzzled.

-I was just curious, because you were wearing something weird after Team Alchemical went down as well, so I was wondering if, like, you were maybe doing these puns to help distract people from bad stuff?

Maddie's expression became entirely undecipherable as she stared at Ellie for a second, before reaching into her coat pocket and throwing glitter everywhere, as she got up to get food while everybody tried to comprehend what just happened.

-Huh. She threw chaff. \- Remarked an equally surprised Chris. - I think you actually got to her.

-Aaaaaanyhow. \- Continued Phoebe. - Are you ok, dear?

Ellie sat down and flopped herself over the table.

-I'm just concerned, you know? We seemed like we were off to a good thing, but then she started shutting herself off more, and we started talking less, and then there was the whole thing with Ryder and I started worrying about that myself because the thought of something like that happening is scary, and then I started thinking about how Dawn was feeling about it and how it must remind her of her partner and all and then I realized I still don't know anything about that and it's all confusing and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh...

-There, there. \- Phoebe patted her head reassuringly.

-It's an understandable concern.

-I'm not really sure what to do. I kinda want to ask her what's wrong and stuff, but I don't wanna be nosy, you know? What happened with her and her partner is a big issue and I don't wanna force it.

-Yeah, she's... guarded about that. \- Phoebe agreed reluctantly. - Dawn was always introverted by nature, and those... events, they didn't help much.

-You could ask her. \- Interjected Helen, coming back with a tray of food.

-Eeh... I'm not sure that would help. She's keeping to herself because she doesn't want to talk about it, you know?

-Yeah... but I kinda need to know, don't I? I'm her partner!

Helen shrugged.

-At least until her partner comes back. If she does.

-Helen!

-You think she's still...?

-I'm just saying.

A small moment passed.

-I think you should ask her. \- Said Chris. Noticing Ellie's surprise, she then continued. - Look, here's the thing: you are, eventually, gonna find out what happened. It's not exactly a secret. We would have told you what we know ourselves if we weren't worried it might be rude. Trust me, having a secret you're not ready to talk about being revealed to everyone without your consent is horrible. And I had the benefit of having magic outright confirm that what I was feeling was true. Dawn won't even have that. What I'm suggesting is that you give her the chance to talk about this on her own terms. Just, just make it clear that you're worried and need to know, and let her decide if she thinks she should tell you know, or if she can risk waiting and maybe having it exposed despite her wishes.

-I agree. \- Interjected Maddie, who had returned with food. - At worst, you're letting her know you're worried. I don't think Dawn would mind that. She's reserved, not a jerk.

-I suppose... \- Phoebe still seemed reluctant. - I'm still not sure that it's the best idea, but maybe you could try.

And with that, Phoebe and Chris got up to get food, leaving Ellie alone with Maddie and Helen as they all focused on their food.

And Maddie's food puns. But they tried ignoring those.

As the night passed outside, Ryder decided to take a walk around the hospital. The healer girl, whose name Ryder didn't know, had worked on her leg during the day, and while it was still a bit sensitive, she could walk now. Had even been encouraged, in order to get back to normal. Walking around the corridors, she could understand why: she had a light limp now. Ryder hoped it would go away sooner rather than later.

Normally she'd be trying to leave that worry aside, but right now the distraction was welcome. Over the course of the day, one of her biggest concerns had proven correct, and the implications of that... she tried to focus on which drink she would get from the vending machine.

As she rounded the corner, however, a bigger distraction came, in the form of a familiar voice. With all the caution and dread in the world, Ryder looked over the side and confirmed her fears: it was _her_ , with her annoyingly cool-looking outfit and everything, saying goodbye to some other girl Ryder didn't know. Her partner wasn't around either, so this had to be the right time. With a pause for breath, Ryder strode into the corridor and approached her greatest rival, the white-haired devil, the unblinking stare, the broker of knowledge...

-Bud.

The younger girl turned around, and a devious smile appeared on her face.

-Well, if it isn't the Night Ryder! Good to see you're doing better.

-You know that's not my title, Bud. And, uh, thank you. \- Ryder tried her arms, but the injured one wouldn't allow it. She flailed for a second, then put her good hand on her hip. - I see you're bringing more girls into your big rumour network, was poaching some of my team not enough?

-Hey, I take all sources. If your friends happen to want to talk, I'm willing to listen. You could just ask them to stop.

Ryder narrowed her eyes and seethed with rage.

-I don't know which ones are doing that yet. \- She admitted through gritted teeth, and could swear Bud grinned. - But that's not why I wanted to talk to you. I... I need a favor.

Bud somehow raised her eyebrows without opening her eyes. Ryder sighed and continued.

-I... saw somebody, a girl, carrying a spotlight nearby to where I was attacked. I was hoping you could help me find her, see what she was up to.

-Well... I haven't heard anything about a girl with a spotlight, no, but I could poke around a bit.

-Please do. I'll... owe you a favor. Maybe give you some information or something.

A smile appeared on Bud's face. Or at least Ryder thought she saw one.

-Look, just... give me a heads up if you find something, yeah? I gotta get going.

She and Bud said their respective goodbyes, and Ryder started walking back to her room. She hated that girl _so much_.

...well, okay, perhaps "hate" was a bit much. She did respect Bud, and for what it was worth the girl was perfectly nice to her. She did, however, curtail Ryder's authority over her team, and despite the lack of proof she was still sure that Bud had someone inside the team feeding her rumours on their deliveries. Ryder had vowed to stop that kind of thing!

A terrible thought came to Ryder, and she stopped on her tracks.

She had forgotten to buy her drink.

So she went back. Yes, Bud was still there. Yes, buying the drink was awkward with her looking at Ryder the whole time.

Ryder's hatred of Bud grew anew that night.

- _The time is now 2a.m. The inner barrier will deactivate shortly. Please make sure the streets are clear of monsters, and take care on your way home._

Ellie watched as the bright orange barrier disappeared, as if water flowing down a drain. She and Dawn had stopped on a roof as the announcement rang having completed another thankfully uneventful night. The sun was nowhere near rising yet, but still Dawn stared into the horizon towards it's rising point, the usual undecipherable expression covering her face. Maybe it was Ellie being biased, but she almost thought her partner looked sad.

-Should we split here? \- Asked Dawn. - The last message is close to my house.

Ellie wasn't certain how to respond, and thus didn't. Dawn seemed to take this as confirmation and said her goodbyes, preparing to leave.

-Wait, Dawn!

She stopped on her tracks, her eagle already on her arm, wings spread.

-I... I needed to know, you...

Ellie gathered her courage.

-What happened to your last partner?

In their admittedly short time together, Ellie had never seen Dawn's expression change so strongly. She went wide-eyed and took a step away from Ellie, seemingly taken completely by surprise. For her part, Ellie panicked.

-NO, you see, I, I was just worried, because you've been a bit distant, and... not that I'm blaming, you, no, I was just worried because you seemed like you were opening up before, and then we stopped talking, and there was the whole thing with Ryder and I was worried and...

Ellie covered her face with her hands in frustration, even unintentionally transforming back to normal.

-Look, I'm sorry. Forget about it. I was just worried because you seemed worried, and I didn't want someone else to tell me what happened before you got a chance to, but I got impatient. I shouldn't have asked, so...

-Ok.

A small moment of quiet surprise passed as Ellie recovered her face from her hands.

-Say what?

-You have a point. I should tell you.

Dawn seemed... resigned, almost? A mixture of sadness and acceptance, it looked like to Ellie. Dawn dismissed her transformation and sat on the edge of the building, silently inviting Ellie to do the same. There the two girls sat, overlooking an open theater, for a good five minutes, in silence as Dawn tried to find the words. Eventually, she did:

-Her name was Celina.


	6. The Life and Times of Celina di Moreno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn goes back to the memories of times past. 
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

On a dark, rainy night, with a bright yellow barrier, two girls were born.  


The first of those was Dawn Roche. The second one, mere minutes later, was Celina di Moreno.  


As chance seemed to will it so, the two girls, born so close together, wound up being so at every turn in their young life. Celina's family, soon after her birth, moved to a house nearby Dawn's, and so they went to the same kindergarten, the same classes, everything. Their families, amused by this, wound up friends themselves, leading the two girls to essentially grow up together.  


Dawn first truly stopped to think about Celina as a young child. The two had always been together, but it hadn't occured to baby Dawn just how cool her friend was. Celina had long, flowing red hair and bright brown eyes, and was incredibly smart and cool! She had this really pretty Rainbow Strider lunchbox, and everybody wanted to be friends with her! Dawn herself, meanwhile, wasn't too interesting. She was just the quiet, drab, tall girl in the class, who nobody wanted to play with much. Even Celina herself didn't seem too interested. Dawn was... mostly fine with this. It had always been like that. But she still wanted for them to be friends.  


One day, during recess, Dawn found Celina sitting alone in the playground, away from the other kids. She seemed sad, and so, as if by instinct, Dawn sat beside her and offered Celina some her own sandwich that her dad had made. She didn't know what was wrong, and she didn't ask, but this seemed to cheer the other girl up somewhat. On the next day, to Dawn's surprise, Celina was the one to seek her out. They went to school together, played together, and went back home together. And did so the next day, and the day after as well. And so it became their custom. Dawn didn't question why; it would be a few years until she fully comprehended what had happened then. At that time, however she was just happy. She and Celina had finally become friends.  


And what friends they were. The other kids questioned Celina's choice at first, but the girl fiercely defended Dawn from anyone who would make fun of her. If Celina was going to do something, she would bring Dawn, and vice-versa. Even when they argued, Celina did her best to try and understand Dawn, and would be quick to apologize if she did something that hurt Dawn's feelings. They were inseparable. Eventually, as all things do, this led the girls to better understand each other, and, in Dawn's case, it led to her understanding why her helping Celina that day had made such a difference.  


The truth was, Celina's mother was very ill. Cursed from birth with disease, that she had been able to give birth to Celina had been a small miracle in itself, and had also weakened her tremendously, even a full decade after Celina's birth. That day, when they were small children, Celina had been taken to class by her grandfather, because her parents had to rush to the hospital for the sake of her mother. And Dawn, blissfully ignorant of what was happening, had done exactly what Celina needed: offered her companionship and comfort. And so Celina had grown attached to her, more than any other child ever would.

As the two grew older, they remained together. Sometime during her twelfth year, Dawn started helping in Celina's house, as the two girls took care of Celina's mother while her father was at work. Celina, in exchange, would help with Dawn's father's pet shop, where she proved herself a very carismatic attendant. And so their life went on.  


One morning, Dawn woke up to find that Celina had had The Dream. Her hair and eyes completely white now, she almost seemed to glow. She certainly did in Dawn's eyes: her friend had become even cooler now! She had a beautiful sleeveless dress, with a skirt that was short on the front and longer in the back (which Dawn would later discover was called a tail dress), with layers of solid and translucent fabric on top of each other, making it look almost ethereal, as well as long gloves with red embroidery and knee-high boots, and a beautiful tiara to top it all off, making her look like a princess.  


For the entirety of a day, their families celebrated, yet Dawn could tell Celina was bothered. And she knew why: Dawn herself did not have the dream yet, and this, over anything else, was on Celina's mind. Her friend would be left alone, be left behind for the first time.  


It didn't take long before Dawn did have the Dream, allowing the two girls to move onto Future's Promise together. But with this, a new, somewhat harsher reality came to be: that the two were not thematic. It had always been an assumption, by the girls and all who knew them, that they would be thematic and form a team. And yet, despite sharing colors, they couldn't be further from each other in every other aspect. Their outfits did not match, their powers were completely different, and their marks had nothing to do with each other. This, accompanied by an outburst of illness from Celina's mother, brought Celina great anger, and she lashed out against her family, running off into the night to fight monsters.  


It took Dawn three hours to find her that night, as the two girls ventured farther into the city than they ever had before. Turned out, Celina was a natural at it, as Dawn found her fending off three monsters without much trouble. Her power also helped: Celina, for whatever reason, had the power to hide her presence from monsters, even if right within their sight. She simply ceased to exist in their minds, was how she described it. Made herself completely non-existant, which forced them to change their targets. Made it a lot easier to fight, so she claimed. She felt self-conscious about it, however. A power that made her not exist... she wasn't sure she liked it. She had imagined that, with Dawn becoming a Magical Girl, some other piece to that puzzle would appear and make sense out of it, but instead, Dawn had become something else entirely. And now, with them being completely different, who knew what would happen. They might end up in different teams, and maybe weren't even compatible...  


Dawn listened to none of that. Once her friend was done venting her worries, she swore, there on the spot, that the two would make a team, and never break it. They would fight together, no matter what other circumstances came about. And so they did: as Mind Blast and Wind Blast, they would form Team Blast, and nothing would stand in their way. Celina, surprised at being once more in a situation where Dawn would have to console her in such a way, agreed heartily and immediately. And so, with their partnership set in stone, the two girls set about into the night, fighting monsters and getting scolded for losing track of time when they came back home.

Two years passed in a flash. Celina and Dawn became stronger with every fight, and at Future's Promise Celina once more began to gather fans and followers with ease, even a boyfriend or a girlfriend on occasion. She urged Dawn to do the same, but she had no interest in that. Celina seemed happy, and so long as that held true it was enough for Dawn. Which was, surprisingly, becoming an issue.  


Despite their continuing adventures, the truth was that Celina and Dawn were very much not famous. Oh, they were beloved in their neighborhood, yes, but outside of that, no one had so much as heard about Team Blast (or at least not their Team Blast, to Celina's dismay), and, despite her trying her best to hide it, it was clear that Celina was deeply bothered by this, presumably due to the issue of having to pay the bills for her mother's constant trips to the hospital, so Dawn believed.  


Opportunity, of course, one day came, in the form of Anne Ryder. The older Magical Girl, long having been a client of Dawn's father, had been looking for people to form a team with, and after a conversation with Dawn, came up with a plan that she presented to the two girls: Team Courier, a team of girls dedicated to carrying messages all over the city during the night, making sure girls could keep themselves informed and supplied no matter what.  


At first, Dawn was worried that Celina would reject the idea, that she had crossed a line and betrayed their promise of being a team together. But, surprisingly, Celina actually approved of it. She and Ryder seemed to get along, and Team Courier, so she said, was an important project that could give them a boost in popularity and help them attract a manager. It was a pity that they'd have to change team names, as Celina would later confide in Dawn, but it was ultimately necessary.  


Trouble presented itself almost immediately in making this team and presenting the idea to the MGSI, but Celina and Ryder tackled that with enthusiasm and force. Ryder, for her part, was defending what she had said was the dream of her lifetime, but Celina went at this with a ferocity unmatched by anything Dawn had ever seen. She knew her friend to be charismatic, but to actually watch her sit down with bureaucrat after bureaucrat, representative after representative, and passionately argue them into letting Ryder make Team Courier a reality. Between Ryder's extensive research and past history acting as an unofficial messenger, and Celina's sheer force of persuasion, it wasn't long until they made progress, and by the time three months had passed since the girls had joined forces, Team Courier was made a reality. They still lacked a manager, something Ryder set about to fixing, but they were real, and that was a victory like none they had ever experienced.  


Celina took no time in using her many followers to find people to add to this group. As Ryder had explained, they needed as many girls as possible to cover ground, and Celina delivered. The first to appear were Maddie and Chris, quickly followed by Maddie's friend Phoebe and her partner Helen, and soon by more and more girls. By the end of another month, they had nine girls already, and would find even more. Ryder, meanwhile, set about to detailing the workings of the group, and with Celina's help worked out a system of pairs with the girls that got along better, which, surreptitiously, Celina had also rigged to ensure she and Dawn would end up working together.  


Thus Team Courier was born. And for the next five months, all was good.

It was a quiet, windless night that in which Celina and Dawn found themselves patrolling back in their old neighborhood, close to Everstone Park. It had been a calm night thus far, as the two had been on hospital duty, and it seemed as if that would be the case all the way to the night's end.  


And then they saw him. A man, running out of an alleyway. Both girls recognized him: a doctor who lived nearby to their houses. He called for their attention, seemingly desperate, saying that his building nearby had been breached by a monster, and before he could even finish the two girls escorted him back to it, to find that it was true: a large hole had been opened on the Barrier and the building's side, with the monster nowhere in sight.  


This wouldn't stand. Both girls knew the people who lived in that building, and they wouldn't let a single one be hurt. Dawn sent her bird up ahead to scout, and Celina jumped in right after it, making sure to mask her presence so she could evacuate the building.  


Dawn, who had stayed behind, tried to convince the doctor to wait outside, but failed terribly. The man ran in, and, after some hesitation, Dawn followed, intent on making sure he would be safe.  


The inside was eerily quiet. The entrance hall had no lights on, and little in the way of decoration aside from a few desks here and there. In the back, where a set of stairs would have led to the basement of the building, there was a destroyed section of wall where a door would be, with signs that something exceptionally large had just passed through it, small specks of liquid leaving a trail that led down the stairs, which Dawn followed.  


The basement, despite all the signs leading into it, seemed untouched. It's lights were on, the trail leading into it, and, at the end, the doctor sat by the wall, curled into a ball in terror, a wound on his shoulder. Dawn entered the room, heading to help them, and it took her a whole second to process that the doctor must have been terrified of something.  


That second was what cost her. The monster, which had been hiding above the door, swooped down and grabbed her, slamming Dawn against a wall then throwing her away like a rag. Panicking, she tried to call her bird, but couldn't; it was still above, scouting the building for Celina. Powerless, Dawn tried to evade the monster, but failed. It toyed with her as a lion with it's prey, batting her around, and though she managed to get a few hits in, it was outpacing her in every way. Had she been less focused on protecting the doctor, perhaps... but then again, perhaps not. As she landed on her back once more, Dawn's thought began to turn more towards removing him from the basement, so perhaps at least he could survive. But then the monster stopped. It turned it's head to the side, then scurried to the side of the door, leaving the path to it completely open. Before Dawn could begin to work out what it was doing, she caught sight of who was at the door, and her blood turned to ice.  


Celina entered the room.  


A second of horror came to Dawn as she, but not Celina, saw the monster move in from the side, just beyond her friend's line of sight, before any warning could be made, as the thing's jaws drew themselves around her torso...  


And then closed.  


...  


...  


Girls ran into room. Monster gone.  


Where? Who?  


...  


Blanket around shoulders.  


She was...  


She couldn't be.  


Didn't find her.  


...  


...  


...  


A cremation.  


So she heard. Didn't go.  


They planted a flower. Didn't know which.  


...  


Wasn't there.  


Anywhere.  


...  


It hurt.  


...  


...  


Had to be somewhere.

And now, tonight, this was all there was. All that was left. A girl, sitting alone, looking. Waiting. Trying to keep everything else at bay, so it wouldn't be real, so it wouldn't happen again. Maybe it would help.  


But it didn't.  


And there she was now, no longer able to hold it back, no longer keeping it under the surface, wordlessly pleading for support from a friend, as she had once given. As she now received.  


The clear night carried on, concerned for feelings not. As time would always be.


	7. The Run, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends help each other cope with stress. Ellie learns about an important part of Team Courier business. A quiet night ensues.
> 
> Special thanks to Phillammon, SorceressEpele and Goofypants, for contributions across this chapter and the next.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

The alarm rang, as if to wake up Ellie. Much to it's dismay, however, she wasn't there at all. In fact, Ellie had left the house, primarily because she hadn't slept a wink. How does one sleep after hearing what she had? A thousand things were now going through her head, and she didn't know how to process any of them.

So, she did what she would always do in situations like this: she went to find Katia. Not that she expected Katia to have any greater knowledge about these things, but she had always been the smarter one, and Ellie just really needed someone to talk to right now. And talk she did: once she met Katia outside her house as the girl went to school (and also after being scolded for not sleeping properly), Ellie confided in her, as best she could without exposing Dawn, what she had learned the night prior.

It took a whole minute for Katia to actually find something to say in response.

-So... she's dead, right? Your friend's partner? I mean, by the way you explained it... she's dead, right?

-I think so, yeah. But my friend... I dunno, I think she's in denial or something? Despite seeing it, and knowing about it, and being able to remember what happened. I dunno how to deal with that.

-That sounds like the whole issue, really. Figuring out how to deal with all of this.

-Exactly! \- Ellie threw her arms in the air, frustrated. - I don't know what I was expecting, I knew this was something big, but like... Augh, why did I ask...

-Because you're worried about her. She's your friend, and you saw she was hurting, so you asked in order to help. It's a whole thing with you, did you never notice?

-I guess I just don't think about it much.

-Well, I find it very charming.

Ellie giggled, blushing a bit, and Katia laughed too.

-But, anyway. \- Katia pulled the subject back into place. - I'm.. not sure what to do about your friend, to be honest. You probably helped a bit just by hearing her out, but still...

-Yeah, I got no idea either. Like I said, I have no idea what I was expecting, really. Sorry to bother you with this.

-Don't be. \- Said Katia. - I like helping you. Makes me feel like I'm a part of... things. I worry about you, y'know? Even if you do take up my morning walk to school with it.

Katia lightly jabbed at Ellie with her elbow, and the two chuckled. Ellie still accompanied Katia to school, turning the subject to lighter things. It was an enjoyable walk all around.

\--------------------------------------------------

-Ok, now hold your arm up, please.

Ryder did so, and, as expected, still felt some pain.

-Ok. \- Remarked the doctor. - It's nothing to be surprised about, the bite was pretty deep. We're discharging you today, but you should take another day or two before going back to patrol. And maybe try and rely on the rest of your team for a few days as well, just to be sure.

Finally, Ryder thought. She could barely stand the hospital anymore, to the point where she had changed into regular clothes before the evaluation, and at the doctor's word simply jumped out of the bed, grabbed her bag, and went straight for the door. She was out of there as fast as she could.

-So, did they clear you or are you running away?

A friendly voice. Ryder turned around.

-Oh, I know better than to try and run again. Had they clear me this time, might even manage to get out the door!

The other girl smiled from her chair and stood up. Her name was Logan, and she was Ryder's best friend. She was slightly taller than Ryder and had darker skin, as well as green hair and eyes, and gave off a feeling of being perpetually tired, even now as she snarked at Ryder.

-Well good! I'll still keep you company, though, just to make sure you don't decide to run off and pick a fight with something on the street.

The two girls smiled. Excuses established, Logan picked up Ryder's bag with no hesitation and the two began their walk.

-So. \- Started Logan, not even bothering with preamble. - You want to tell me what really happened? You were holding out on the CDD people back then.

Ryder hesitated a bit.

-It's... complicated. And big.

-I'm a smart girl. \- Logan retorted. - And also a concerned one.

-Yeah... fine. But keep this on the down-low, yeah?

And so Ryder told her, about the attack, the monsters, the girl, and even the things she'd found out since. Conclusions she had come to. Logan, naturally, was shocked, but also delivered her own conclusion immediately.

-You need to find help. Get someone on your side on this.

-I... I don't know, it's...

-Ryder, this was an attack on your life.

-Yes, but I can...

-Anne, don't. \- Logan stopped her friend and stared her in the eyes. - I know you're used to doing things by yourself, but this is not the time. You _need_ help with this. Especially with a bad arm.

Ryder avoided her eyes, feeling somewhat ashamed. It was true, and she knew it. And she hated it.

-Well, who would you suggest? I can't ask the MGSI.

-Oh, no, definitely not. They're not going to do anything. Might even make it worse. \- Logan quickly retorted. - But there's probably someone you can trust still, right? Maybe Dawn?

-No Dawn. She's already got way too much on her plate. I'm definitely not involving her in this.

-Well there has to be someone else in your team you trust. Or maybe someone who absolutely couldn't have done this? You had a new girl, right?

That was... an interesting consideration, Ryder thought. Ellen was young, though... but Logan was right that Ryder couldn't deal with this alone. Regardless, they were nearing Cyrus' office now. Ryder put those thoughts aside for later.

\--------------------------------------------------

Ellie's mental state didn't improve much over the course of classes. Turned out, being worried about something while sleep-deprived and in classes was bad for one's head. Who'd have thought!

By lunchtime, the others had obviously noticed.

-So. \- Opened Chris. - You asked.

Ellie melted into the table in response.

-Yeah, that's... that's not easy to deal with. \- Said Phoebe, distributing fruit to everyone. - We were all heartbroken when Ryder told us Celina had gone missing.

-Missing? \- Asked Ellie. Maddie mumbled something from behind her lunch that Ellie couldn't understand.

-Yeah, that's what she and Dawn say. \- Said Chris. - That they'd run into a monster and Celina went missing. Although I think it's pretty much clear that she's just going with that for Dawn's sake. Same reason we've all been helping out at her house lately. Help her cope, y'know.

-Dawn hasn't been much the same since, the poor girl. \- Said Phoebe.

-Well, yeah, I can imagine why. \- Said Ellie.

-Still, it was shocking to learn about what happened to Celina. \- Said Maddie, this time comprehensible. - She had the most Runs out of all of us, as well.

-She had the what?

-Runs. \- Interjected Chris. - You haven't had any yet, have you? Shouldn't take you too long, you've been here a week now.

-A Run \- Phoebe started explaining - is sort of a special delivery. It's not exactly an official thing, it's just that at some point we've all had to make delivery runs where we have to go alone from one point to another to deliver something important.

-And generally \- Maddie interrupted - all sorts of hell breaks loose when you're doing that. I got attacked by a pack of Snarks the last time I had one!

Chris and Helen nodded their heads silently.

-It's pretty much a rite of passage at this point, everybody in the Team has had one. \- Agreed Phoebe.

-I remember Tamara's first Run.

Maddie grinned, about to start telling a story, but was interrupted by the arrival of Dawn.

-Girls. Ryder asked me to say we won't be meeting in the classroom tonight. Wrote the adress.

She delivered a slip of paper to Phoebe, who thanked her, and walked away. Ellie struggled with her conscience for a second; Dawn seemed... distraught, maybe? And so Ellie followed her out of the cafeteria.

-Dawn! \- She said, as she reacher the older girl. - I... uh, look, I...

It occurred to her she didn't know what to say, yet again. Common ocurrence lately. And yet, as was also becoming common, Dawn was the one who said it.

-Thanks for listening to me yesterday.

That was all she said, but also all that seemed necessary, at least for now.

-Yeah, no problem. Anytime you need.

Dawn nodded, and left for her class. Still in her place, Ellie wondered why this felt so right and so wrong at the same time. Something... something was missing. Something was still wrong, but she couldn't really tell why.

It plagued her mind for the rest of the day.

\--------------------------------------------------

-So, Ryder. \- Said Maddie, trying her best to sound serious. - Why exactly are we meeting _here_?

The girls were in an open children's park, all of them either standing or sitting on random toys. Ellie and Phoebe sat on opposite ends of a seesaw, Ellie high in the air, and Chris had taken to climbing a nearby jungle gym. Jasmine, of all people, was on the swingsets. Maddie, who not two minutes before Ryder arrived had been taking multiple turns on a slide, was now standing, looking all serious. Ryder herself looked embarassed.

-Look, just... I thought Cyrus said we were having the new HQ ready today, so I told the lady at the school to close the class, and... I can't find her anywhere to open the place for us. So... we're meeting here for like a day or two. \- She scratched her head sheepishly, while her friend barely contained a laugh. - Sorry about that.

But Maddie was never going to just let it end like that.

-Oh, but I am insulted! We all are! To fall so low! Having to meet on a park, like mere commoners! This is scandalous! Do you not agree, my dear? \- She leaned on Ellie, who laughed sheepishly. - Oh, the humanity of this plight!

-'Tis a tragedy! \- Exclaimed Chris, much to the general surprise. - What manner of squalor we find ourselves in!

-Such misfortune!

-Yeah, yeah, knock it off. \- Said Ryder, her friend failing to stifle her laughter behind her. - It should be just for a couple of days until Cyrus can get our new place set up.

-Speaking of which \- Said Chris - when do we get to meet this guy? You've been talking about him quite a lot lately.

-He did say he wants to meet you girls. I'll be introducing you all when we're all at the new HQ, have a meeting and stuff. Honestly, it's more a formality than anything, short of doing something personal most of you won't ever get to meet him.

A general murmur of approval ran through the group.

- _Attention all citizens. The time is now 9:55 P.M. Please make sure you are back inside your homes, with all doors and windows locked._

-Anyway, about the routes tonight: I know none of you like them much, but we have a message for a group of Founder's Blessing girls...

An audible groan was heard.

-Oh, come on girls, it's not that bad.

-Really now. \- Said Chris with a look of cynicism. - I take it they haven't preached at you anytime lately?

-Look, I get it, ok? \- Responded Ryder - There's some friction there, I know. But the FB girls got me to the hospital, and I was thinking we could use this as a chance to establish some lines of communication, just to make sure we can...

Both Ryder and her friend suddenly turned their heads away, looking at something in the distance. Ellie, as well as most of the team, followed their gazes, and spotted the thing that called their attention.

A lone flare had been shot up into the sky.

-That's... a misfire, right? \- Asked Maddie.

-Kind of has to...

Suddenly, another flare shot up from the same place. Followed by another, then another. More flares kept appearing, adding up to over a dozen of them.

-Not a misfire. \- Maddie answered herself. Ryder took control of the situation.

-Everybody there. Now!

The girls all transformed and mobilized. Dawn looked at Ellie and said:

-Ellie, go with the others. I'll take Ryder!

The entire group, Logan included, moved towards the source of the flares. Dawn and Ryder shot ahead of the group a bit, and by the time they arrived the two were already on the scene, helping. And thank goodness for that, thought Ellie.

There was no monster. That was the good news. What there was, however, was a fire. A massive fire raged from a hole on the side of a building, leaving large gaps on it's side and people strewn all over the street. Firefighters and Magical Girls ran in and out, rescuing people from the disaster, with groups of medical personnel on the ground tending to the more immediate wounds. Ryder was standing to the side, talking to a medic, and immediately ran to the group as they arrived.

-Here's the deal! \- She shouted over the chaos of the scene - There are way too many people hurt, and they're going to divert them to the nearby hospitals, so I'm going to send you girls ahead to inform them! We need to hurry, because...

As if intentionally, the barrier sweeped by the city, covering the surrounding buildings in a silver color... but not the burning one, excluding the scene from it's defense. The fire raged on, unchanged, but the desperation on those present grew exponentially.

-Ok, assignments! There are three nearby hospitals: Dawn, Ellie, you get the one to the south! Sandra, Tamara, on the west! Phoebe, Helen, southeast! Maddie, Chris, you stay here to help defend everyone, go talk to Team Rescue for that! Everybody else, present yourselves to Team Nature, you'll help get victims to nearby hospitals!

Tamara stepped forward.

-Ryder, I can ... \- She started, but Ryder interrupted:

-No, you can't! Don't even try! Let the fighters do their jobs, get to the hospitals, keep information and supply lines up! Let's do this job and save people! Come on!

So the team went, each taking to their respective charges.

Maddie took leadership of a group of girls as they formed a protective ring around the building, some of them already battling monsters that had appeared to take advantage of the crisis.

Elsewhere, a girl with brown hair and a staff was coordinating healers, ensuring injureed civilians would be safe for transfer.

Ellie and Dawn stopped to talk to a paramedic, to ask for a prediction on the amount of injured being sent to their hospital. With it in hand, they ran, leaving the ghastly scene behind, although the sounds of battle and chaos still persisted for a couple more blocks.

They arrived at the hospital to find that, surprisingly, they were entirely unprepared. They were well-stocked for possible injuries, but not for a crisis of this scale. Further chaos ensued as the girls were tasked with helping prepare the emergency rooms, finding equipment, waking up med students, all sorts of things.

It took no more than five minutes before the first few patients were wheeled in through the doors. Dawn took advantage of that to run to a different hospital, in order to pick up needed supplies, leaving Ellie to help the nurses. For a moment Ellie thought she saw Chris outside, punching a monster into nothingness to protect the paramedics.

Dawn returned before Ellie could even get a break, as things grew even more chaotic the more patients arrived. At one point a Magical Girl had to be wheeled in as well, and though Ellie didn't see who it was, Dawn guaranteed her it wasn't anyone in Team Courier.

It wasn't long after that, in what thankfully seemed like a lull, that Ellie found herself near the entrance, hoping to get some water. The entrance doors were suddenly thrown open as paramedics came in carrying a small child, seemingly desperate.<

While they talked to the attendant, Ellie stopped to notice that the child had a contact wound. She'd heard about those, but never seen one up close before. >It looked... odd, from where she was. Less like a proper wound and more like... well, if she had to say it, it looked like wallpaper. As if someone had peeled off a layer of wallpaper and you could see what was behind it. But it was skin, and...

Ellie's thoughts were suddenly, and thankfully, interrupted by the things they were saying.

-What do you mean, you can't take her?

-We dont have the supplies to treat an injury like that! And we don't even know where her parents are, we...

-This kid's wound needs to be treated! She can't just be carted around from hospital to hospital...

-We have no way of treating her, she needs to be moved to a different hospital!

-I can help! \- Ellie volunteered.

For a second, everyone turned to her like she was crazy, before realizing she was a Magical Girl. Then Dawn arrived at the scene.

-Ellie, I'm leaving again, need to deliver supplies to the other hospital stat and... whats going on here?

-Oh, Dawn, good time! South General could still take people when you left there, right?

Dawn stopped for a second to absorb the situation, then became worried.

-You're going to take the girl there? That's...

-They need me to do it. \- Ellie interrupted. - You're busy, and I can carry her over there, it's not that far.

-But you...

-I'll be fine, it's just a delivery, that's nothing we can't...

Ellie stopped in her tracks as she realized why Dawn was worried. Dawn was scared of losing Ellie as well.

For a second, Ellen wondered if maybe trading places would be the best thing to do. Or maybe doing both things, they could go together and it would be safer...

No. That would be a waste of time, and more importantly, wouldn't be fair to either of them. Ellie needed to prove to Dawn that she could be trusted, that what happened back then was not going to repeat itself.

She put her hand on Dawn's shoulder.

-I can do this.

Dawn didn't seem entirely convinced. But she nodded.

-South General has enough supplies. If you hurry it should be fine. \- Dawn looked at the paramedics. - Tie the girl to her back. Makes it easier to move.

And so they did. With care and precision, they secured the little girl to Ellie's back, and made it clear that she didn't have much time left to make it to the hospital. Ellie wasn't entirely sure what would happen if she failed, and didn't intend to find out: that girl was going to make it to the hospital, no matter what.

Ellen and Dawn left the hospital together, and exchanged looks as the doors closed and the barrier covered them again. And so the two parted ways, with Ellen jumping into the night, ready for her first Run.


	8. The Run, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is ticking. A girl's life is in Ellie's hands. Nothing but the night stands in her way.
> 
> Special thanks to Phillammon, SorceressEpele and Goofypants, for contributions across this chapter and the one prior.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

Ellie slid down the side of a building, gaining speed before hitting the ground running. The girl on Ellie's back shifted a little, but was still quiet.

It was a trick she'd picked up recently, that by liquefying the wall as she slid down it she could gain a lot more momentum. It helped when going down something, even if she still lacked any real means to go _up_ things. Ah, to be blessed with magical jumping powers. Or flight. Dawn would never know how easy she had it, Ellie thought as she sprinted through the night, the silver barrier making the entire city looks as if made of metal.

Her steps were still reacting to concrete and stone, however, and they soon attracted the attention of some cat monsters. Ellie thought back to the girls' warnings, and concluded that there was indeed some kind of curse on these Runs. The hospital was close, but she couldn't really go in there with two monsters on her tail. She diverted her path into a side alley, where the two cats followed her. 

Keeping herself ahead by sliding along the ground, Ellie turned into an even smaller alleyway, hidden between two buildings. One of the cats managed to follow her, but the other skidded right past. The remaining one continued it's pursuit, with Ellie climbing over garbage bins and all sorts. She could have sworn she saw some guy with a rat on his hand hiding at one point as well, but couldn't stop to check.

As she reached an open street again, the other cat rejoined the chase. Not fair, Ellie thought as she tried turning the ground behind her into liquid, to little effect. She kinda had to deal with these cats right now: there was an open intersection coming, and she would be entirely incapable of using the environment against them there.

But then suddenly the noises stopped. Ellie looked back to check, and the monsters had simply vanished. Had they changed targets or something? Monsters didn't usually do that. The girl on her back mumbled a bit. Those concerns would have to come later. Still, as Ellie ran through the now empty streets, she couldn't help but think things had gone a bit too quiet again. This couldn't be a good sign.

She turned the corner, and what she saw justified all her concerns.

It was hard to believe she had missed this until now. The monster was huge, looking like a forest of limbs covering almost the entire span of a five-street intersection, arms, legs, paws, hooves, all sorts, some of them holding onto the buildings to keep the whole aloft, curiously not scratching the barrier in any of them, at least not intentionally. In it's center, barely visible within a nest of limbs, lay a small, skeletal creature, a monster that seemed very distraught over something. It skittered around it's little space, clearly concerned and hurried, but seemingly incapable of deciding what to do.

Past the initial confusion and fear, Ellie's thoughts focused back on the situation. She'd have liked to go around that thing, but the fastest way to the hospital was precisely through the intersection. It seemed to be ignoring her at the moment, however, and there was clear path just beneath it. Under normal circumstances, she'd have fought... but then again, she wasn't sure she could even face whatever that was supposed to be.

So she ran under it, sliding along the ground to go faster. The mess of limbs convulsed, the creature inside staring at Ellie seemingly in a panic, but it didn't attack, although some of it's limbs seemed poised to do so. She ran past it and left the intersection, thanking her own luck in getting through it as she turned the corner, ran through the entire street, and then arrived...

Back at the intersection.

The monster was still there, hanging above the ground with it's limbs. The street she'd arrived from was the same one she'd arrived from earlier. The intersection looked the same as before, if perhaps with the barrier a bit more scratched.

...how had that happened? She was rather certain she hadn't gotten lost.

No time to think about it. If going through wasn't going to work, she'd have to take a detour. Ellen turned around and followed through a side street, circling around the intersection to enter an avenue, which led her back to the intersection.

What the... Ellen decided to make a test. She turned around and left the intersection the way she came, only to arrive precisely where she left from.

That was a confirmation. The creature was somehow keeping them there. Ellen checked the girl. She seemed fine, but had started mumbling a bit. She needed to hurry. Looking around, the sky and horizon seemed weirdly hazy, which gave Ellie the idea of going up a building to scan the surroundings from higher ground. Without jumping powers, however, scaling a building would require some creative thought. Spotting a scaffolding, she moved to jump on top of it.

Bad mistake. The monster took that as a threat, and responded, a clawed arm reaching out faster than Ellie could react, barely missing her head. The entire mess of arms began to move, turning towards Ellie and stretching random limbs to attack her. With no time to think, Ellie simply moved, dodging the limbs as she could, taking the chance to climb on top of them to reach higher ground as she tried to move away from the monster and into the nearby streets.

As she reached the rooftop, her theory was confirmed: she was now on the nearby avenue, which she couldn't reach before. So... the monster's power wasn't set, it was an area around it! Ellen dodged a limb, which reminded her to keep moving. And she had to keep moving, because if she was right, she could reach the hospital if it kept following her. She could drop the girl safely without wasting time beating this thing!

That was it. It was an obstacle course, and she had to get through it to make this delivery. She jumped buildings to keep herself going, and took to running as the monster barreled after her, it's limbs grabbing at anything it could to keep going, at a blinding speed, especially for something that size.

The monster, as it happened, was relentless, and very far from harmless. Every step Ellie took was just a hair's breadth away from being skewered by it's limbs, some of them tearing out whole chunks of ground or wall. She weaved behind staircases and fences and jumped all sorts of building gaps, to no avail: it could reach her everywhere, and it did so, for several streets.

She did, however, keep an eye on her target. It was hard to do, with the monster's power blurring the background, but with a general notion of where things were and compensating for the occasional correction from avoiding certain death, soon enough... She could see it! The hospital! Ellie jumped down the side of the building, extending her arm to slide down the wall...

And only too late did she notice the monster, coming from her side, a massive arm heading towards...

_THWACK_

The world turned upside down several times as Ellie ragdolled through the air, before hitting the ground a good ways away from the hospital. She could feel some blood coming down her forehead where the monster hit, as well as several other injuries, as she tried and failed to push herself off the ground, putting her hand on her back to check... on nothing.

The little girl lay on the floor, almost half a block ahead of Ellie. She was moving, clearly still alive... but right above her was the monster, hanging from the nearby buildings, a single hand extending, reaching...

There was no thought. There was movement.  Ellen sank her whole arm into the ground, efortlessly, everything around her turning to liquid as she reached her goal and grabbed a pipe, a water main, and yanked it from beneath the street.

Water shot out of the ground, hitting the monster and pushing it back. Continuing the movement, Ellen put her hands in the water stream, turning some of it solid, and impaling the monster with it as it fells backwards onto the floor, away from the girl.

Ellen removed her hands from the stream, and they were now coated in solid water, gauntlets to fight with. The creature launched another limb at her, but this time she could see it, and punched it away. Another limb, another punch. She advanced.

The mess of limbs fell on the floor, the creature inside rattling.

There.

Ellen advanced. A paw came for her. She thought she dodged, but felt the pain. Still didn't stop. She couldn't stop.

It was still close to the girl.

The monster's arms slipped from the nearby building, and it fell to the ground. Ellen stomped on the ground, making a streak of ground go liquid under it, destabilizing the creature. It's next attack missed by miles.

Now was the time for thought. Bursting random limbs wasn't working. She needed to get to the creature. The limb that missed her began to retract, and on instinct, she grabbed onto it.

It pulled her in, faster than she wanted, but close enough to what she was aiming for. A bit too much, even, as she slid past the crevice that held the monster and landed on the mess of limbs. Immediately, the whole thing came alive, arms wrapping themselves around her, trying to drag her into the mass. Ellie dusted a few, but there were too many. She couldn't win.

From underneath her feet came the sound of the creature, rattling in it's small crevice. Ellie knew what she had to do. Instead of resisting, she let the arms pull her down, and instead dug into them, opening herself a path to the center. Pain shot through her body, but she kept going. She could barely see, a hand covered most of her face, but her arm found open air. She liquefied the water around her own hand and tried to pull the limbs away, gain some measure of sight into the crevice. She couldn't.

In a last, desperate action, Ellie swinged her arm around, barely seeing where it went, hoping it would connect with something important...

No more than a minute later, Ellie burst through the doors of the hospital, carrying the girl safe with her.

\--------------------------------------------------

The following... however long it was, was very hazy for Ellie. She remember bringing the girl in and frantically demanding she be treated, even after she already was, much to her future embarassment. She remembered not sitting very quietly while a doctor tried to treat her own wounds, and then being told to wait for a healer, and given a painkiller. She didn't remember feeling any pain before, and she remembered far less things after that.

She did remember being approached by Ryder at one point, however.

-So... I hear you ruptured a water main tonight. \- The older girl said.

Ellie took a second to stare at the ceiling before answering.

-I might have. I don't remember doing it. But I might have.

-Yeah... burst water pipe near the entrance kinda confirms to me you did.

-Huh. Yeah, it would.

Ryder, in a mix of amusement and concern, looked at her very out of it friend.

-You're high on painkillers, aren't you?

Ellie took another minute of staring at the ceiling.

-Probably.

Ryder chuckled.

-I'll come back in an hour or so, how about that?

Ellie didn't answer. She continued to stare at the ceiling, blissfully calm, for indeed roughly the next hour, after which Ellie found herself being treated by a brown-haired Magical Girl.

-Oh, hello! I see you're back with us. \- She said.

-I... yeah... you're the, uh... one of the Team Nature girls, right?

The older girl gave her a sweet smile.

-I am. I'm a healer, in fact. The doctors here asked me to take a look at you.

-Oh. Thanks, I guess? I don't remember being too hurt. \- Said Ellie, surprised.

-Really? You had a broken arm and a really big cut on your forehead. Some other injuries as well.

-I... had no idea. \- Said Ellie, stopping to consider how useful of a thing adrenaline was. - Thanks for the healing, then, I guess.

-You'll be glad to know, by the way, that the girl you brought in is fine. Minor contact wound, a few scratches, but she's ok. They've found her mum as well, she came here from another hospital to be with her daughter.

-Really? \- A wave of relief washed over Ellie. - Oh thank goodness.

The older girl seemed pleased as she finished dressing up the cut on Ellie's head.

-Look, I have to go help some other girls who got hurt in that fire, but I'll call in your friend, ok? Good work out there.

And so she left. Not a few minutes later, Ryder appeared, drinking from a juice box with a bendy straw on it.

-Hey there. Back to the world of the lucid, huh?

-Sadly, yes. \- Ellie resisted the temptation of rubbing the sore spot on her head. - I could do with not being in pain anymore tonight.

Ryder took a sip from her juice box.

-I see you met Grace. \- She noticed Ellie's confusion, and explained: - Earthen Nature over there. Me and her have crossed paths on occasion, and I think she's in one of my classes. Nice girl.

-Well, she's a good healer, at least. \- Said Ellie, resting her head on the sofa. Something then occurred to her and she hurried to ask Ryder, who was ready.

-Don't you worry about Dawn. She was here already, she knows you're ok. Sat by your side for a whole hour or so. In fact, I'm only here cuz they called on me to order her to go home. Girl's surprisingly stubborn for someone so reserved.

-Oh, thank goodness. \- Ellie let herself relax again.

-Hey, don't sweat it. You can talk to Dawn yourself tomorrow in class. Take the night to enjoy this one, it was a job well done.

Ryder took a long sip from her juice box. Then another one, before asking:

-So... it seems like the docs are going to tell you to skip patrol tomorrow, so... I was wondering if you would mind swinging by my place after class? I need to talk to you about something... important.


	9. Do Share

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie pays a home visit, and learns quite a lot more than she expected.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

Ellie couldn't remember the last time she hadn't gone on patrol. Weird thing that, all things considered, since it hasn't been more than two months since she first got her powers, and even less since she'd joined Team Courier.

She stood now, a little over an hour after class, in front of a house near the northern edge of the city, a tote bag over her shoulder. Ryder had told her to wear casual exercise clothes, so she stood in shorts, running shoes, and a silly t-shirt with "Aerial view of the city" written on it, and a picture of the sky, followed by the caption (looking up). Ellie loved that shirt, although Katia was deeply exasperated by it. Which, yes, made Ellie like it even more.

Ryder had also asked if Ellie was afraid of or allergic to dogs (thankfully she was neither), which had left the girl prepared for a house with a backyard. What she was seeing, however, was much more than that: a huge property, the biggest she'd ever seen, with two different buildings on it, one a somewhat large house and another, smaller one on the back. She was still admiring it when Ryder opened the door of the bigger house, dressed in an old tank top and jeans with sandals, her hair tied in a high ponytail. Ellie realized, much to her surprise, how fit Ryder was. Her usual outfit hid that with long sleeves and layers, but Ryder was, actually, rather athletic. Ellie pondered how easily Ryder could probably lift her.

-I was wondering if you'd stay there looking at the place all day! \- Said Ryder, a large smile on her face. - Come on in, there's more stuff on the inside!

And so Ellie did.

-I didn't know you lived on such a big house. \- She said, entering what didn't really seem like the entrance of a proper house: large rooms, with sofas and play pens, plenty of open space, and some toys strewn about the ground.

-Oh, we don't. \- Answered Ryder. - We live in that house in the back. This is just the business front.

-That... makes sense. \- Ellie had just spotted a desk in a separate room, with mountains of papers around it. - What do you guys do, then?

-Well... \- Ryder said coyly, opening one of the doors to the back. - We raise these.

Puppies. Puppies! A wave of puppies, all kinds of breeds, washed over Ellie, who couldn't help but melt into a puddle of adorableness with them, playing with the dogs as Ryder expertly herded the whole group, Ellie included, back outside, where they rolled around in the grass and joined other, older dogs.

-You live in a doggie farm!

-I live in a doggie farm. \- Answered Ryder, amusedly propping herself in a tiny tree. - My grandma's doggie farm, specifically. We do our best to raise healthy puppies for anyone in the city who'd want them.

-Yue! \- Came the voice of an old woman from inside the bigger house. - Did you just let the dogs run inside again?

-Sorry,grandma! My friend's here, I thought I'd give her a surprise.

An old, slightly cross-looking lady came out from inside, and Ellie's first thought was that she now knew what Ryder would look like in her old age. She looked somewhat taller, if with a curved back due to age, and had a cane by her side, but aside from the wrinkles, she was the spitting image of Ryder's, especially once she saw Ellie and her stern look melted into a much more pleased smile.

-Why, hello there! I didn't hear you come in! Welcome, welcome! My name is Fan, I'm Yue's grandmother. \- She eagerly shook Ellie's hand.

-Yue?

-Anne Yue Ryder. \- Ryder explained. - Ryder's my father's surname, and both him and my mom chose a name each. Grandma likes the name my mom chose better.

-So you're the girl my granddaughter has been telling me about! \- Grandma Fan continued unabated. - She traded her last day of rest for chores so I could train you, you know? She thinks very highly of you!

-Well, I... \- Ellie blushed a bit, before the realization came down on her. - Train me?

-Grandma used to be a Magical Girl when she was our age. \- Said Ryder, picking up one of the puppies. - Like the two of us, she didn't have a very... uh, offensive power, let's say, but she's really good at coming up with clever ways to use powers. So she taught me, and I was thinking she might be able to help you too! It's half the reason I asked you to come here.

-Magical Girl Stalwart, I was! \- Ellie looked at her with confusion. - Single-word names were all the rage for solo girls back in those days. You should have seen the ones I ran with!

She let out a hearty laugh.

-I should warn you though, don't be fooled by her now. \- Said Ryder. - She looks friendly, but grandma's a mean trainer.

-Made you survive this far, haven't I? No other girl out there has the guts to body slam monsters like you do!

-Just warning her. \- Ryder answered with a smile, and went on to take care of a veritable deluge of dogs, leaving Ellie to wonder how harsh old lady Fan could really be, telling her to do her worst.

\--------------------------------------------------

The answer to that question was _very_. The first thing that happened was she ordered Ellie to remove her shoes so they could train on the grass, and Ellie immediately asked, aloud, if this was a good idea, prompting a laugh from Ryder and a small lecture from Fan about the benefits of walking barefoot on grass, and of obeying one's master. Having learned not to disobey the old lady, Ellie then spent a good two hours performing physical training, running around the yard (accompanied by several dogs at a time, many of which outpaced her entirely, including a very tiny but enthusiastic dog), performing push-ups and other exercises (while, at one point, Ryder play-wrestled an absolutely _massive_ dog nearby, who she ended up lifting above her head), and then a few other exercises, up until she started feeling some pain on her arm. Before she could even say a word about it, Fan told her to stop.

-Yue mentioned you broke your arm yesterday, right?

-I... yes. Fought a monster, and...

-Then we stop for now. \- Said Fan, in the same stern tone, but with a tinge of concern mixed in. - Healers are good, but you cannot stress injuries like those too much! Otherwise you end up needing one of these!

She lifted her cane to indicate.

-Yue! \- Old lady Fan shouted at the backyard, causing Ryder's head to pop out of one of the doggie playgrounds. - Stop cleaning the playground! Where did Lucas go anyway, I pay him to do that for a reason!

-He had to go home, grandma! Something about his mom calling for him!

-Ah, that boy, I'll have a word with him when he comes back. Go wash your hands and start working on dinner, please.

-Oh? You're going to do power training now? I was hoping I could watch...?

Ryder extended a sheepish smile to her grandmother.

-Well then you better get dinner going quickly! \- Answered Fan with a laugh, to which Ryder thanked her and sprinted into the house. Fan then turned to Ellie. - Now, girl, do transform. You will feel better after doing that.

So Ellie did, and so Fan proved herself right. She felt a bit more refreshed once transformed, which Fan seemed to pick up on with a satisfied smile.

-So. Tell me your powers. \- She said.

-I thought Ryder... uh, Yue, told you about...

-She did. I'm asking you.

Ellie cocked her head, confused. Two puppies that had sat nearby her copied the gesture.

-There is a world of difference in how other people see your power, and how you understand it. And sometimes there is even a difference in how your power works and how you understand it. Many girls just go with their intuition and that works for them, but if you want to expand your abilities, you need to think about what you have some more.

Ellie started thinking about her powers, but Fan cut her short.

-Don't think too deep about them yet. Start simple. What your power does, what you can do with it, what you find weird. First things that come to mind.

-Ok... \- Ellie began. - I can make things go from solid to liquid, and back. I can make liquid things go solid too, but that's harder. I can also go through things I made liquid or gooey, but it's kinda difficult... Oh, except for those times that I could do it, like, really easily. I can't do it all the time, though, it happened in my first fight and then last night again, and I didn't mean to do it either time. Oh, and I can't use my power on people.

-You tried?

Ryder's voice came from the window nearby, where she could be seen holding a bowl with some vegetables in them. Fan looked at her, very cross, and Ryder meekly apologized.

-I tried making some steaks turn to water in the kitchen once. \- Ellie answered. - It didn't work. I made an assumption from that.

-Smart girl. Smarter than my granddaughter, _who should be making dinner right now_! \- She grouched, and Ryder quickly ran back into the house. - Ok, so those are the basic things about your power. Is there anything else you tried?

-Well... \- Ellie remembered her training with the girls. - Making solid surfaces turn to liquid takes a little bit of time. I haven't worked out the timing of doing it yet, so sometimes I just slam my hand on a wall like a doofus. Oh, and I can go faster if I slide on things I made liquid.

Fan took a second to think about all that.

-Do you have a range your power works on? A limitation?

-Oh, yeah! I can only do that if I'm touching something, and I think it only works on, like... ten meters around me? I reached longer in the fight last night, though.

-Not unusual. \- Answered the old lady, almost mechanically. - Some girls use their powers better on dangerous situations like that. And from what you told me, you are one of those cases.

-So you can help me work those things out? \- Ellie asked, growing excited.

-No. \- Fan answered bluntly. Ellie deflated immediately. - That is your power, it will be your job to figure that out. What I am going to do is help you control it better, so the answers will come more easily.

She picked up a small rubber ball, and threw it to Ellie. A few dogs jumped up, excited to play.

-Turn that to water.

Ellie did so, with relative ease. The water ran through her fingers and splashed on the grass, though some of it remained cupped on her hand. The dogs were confused as to where the ball went. Old lady Fan stopped to ponder for a second.

-Try turning what's left of it back to solid.

Uncertain of whether that would work, Ellie tried so. The water trembled a bit on her hand, but no result came. Fan nodded affirmatively to something only she knew about.

-Now, put your hand forward and close your eyes. \- She said, reaching for something else on a little plastic bag. As Ellie closed her eyes, she felt something, an object barely touching the palm of her hand. - Now you are going to turn this into liquid. Don't think about it too hard.

So Ellie did. It took a second more than usual, but when Ellie felt it work, old lady Fan let out another satisfied laugh, and ordered Ellie to open her eyes and see. The object, another rubber ball, had indeed turned to water... but kept it's shape, a small sphere of water now resting atop Ellie's hand, even old lady Fan being able to hold it.

They tested it for a few seconds, with Fan holding the ball away from Ellie and even throwing it to her, with the ball holding it's shape until it hit Ellie's hand again. Fan seemed very happy with the result.

-So it seems you have more control over this than you thought! \- She said. - A good job all around. I would suggest that you try making things liquid without changing their shape more often. Don't think about them becoming liquid, just use your power on them. You might even... yes, let us try that.

She went into a small shed, and came out dragging a large machine on her free hand. Ryder, who had by this point finished preparing dinner and come out to watch while it was in the oven, looked simultaneously concerned and amused. Before Ellie could ask, old lady Fan turned the machine on, and a tennis ball was shot at Ellie, fast enough to hit but not enough to harm.

-You said you were trying to figure out timing, right? Well, here is our game: you will have to grab the balls from the air and turn them to water, instantly! \- She shouted from the distance. - You will also drop them as soon as you grab them to grab the next, so if you cannot make them liquid immediately, do not keep trying. You gain one point for each ball you make liquid, and three points for each ball you make liquid that does not lose it's shape!

Ellie eagerly set herself in place, and prepared to use her power.

\--------------------------------------------------

Half an hour later, dinner was called in, and Ellie accompanied old lady Fan into the dining room, telling Ryder about the whole 5 points she had managed to rack up. Fan seemed unconcerned: those things took time, she said, and once Ellie figured out the trick to the timing it would come to her naturally.

-If I am not mistaken, and I rarely am \- she boasted. - you might even be able to change the shapes of things you used your power on!

Ellie, quite frankly, doubted she had that ability, but the last two hours of training had worn her down too much to disagree. Instead, she dug into the dinner Ryder had prepared, hungrier than she thought possible, while Fan told embarrassing stories about Ryder, who mostly complained about that. Old lady Fan told her about how Ryder, who already had black hair and dark eyes, had spent a long time before realizing she'd had the Dream, as her mark, which was on the middle of her back, was hard to spot normally. She would have spent her whole life thinking she wasn't a Magical Girl, so Fan said, if she hadn't one day sneezed too hard and transformed by accident. Ryder's luminescent blush as she denied that story left Ellie wondering how much truth there was to it.

After they were done eating, with the sun starting to come down, Ryder got up from her chair enthusiastically.

-Ellie, before you go, can I borrow you for a minute? I need help with something for the team. If, uh, you don't mind me not helping put the dogs away tonight, grandma?

-Not to worry. I think I hear Lucas walking into the house, it will be a good opportunity to remind him who pays his wages. \- Said old lady Fan with an evil glee to her voice.

-I'll be praying for him. \- Responded Ryder playfully, beckoning Ellie down a corridor. 

The house, now that Ellie paid more attention to it, was tiny and homely, filled with tiny knicknacks here and there, trinkets and photos and all sorts. One room they passed was filled with gym equipment, as well as the tennis ball machine from before ("I work out there all the time", said Ryder). At the end of the corridor, between two closed doors, there was a small closet, with a picture frame in it, showing two people: a man, who Ellie had never seen, and a woman who looked even more like Ryder than even old lady Fan.

-Oh, is that your mom? \- Ellie asked, coming closer to the picture to see it better. - And your dad, I imagine? I didn't get to see them.

-Yeah. - She said, casually. - They're gone.

Ellie's eyes grew to the size of dinnerplates as she turned around to apologize, but Ryder foresaw her.

-Don't worry, don't worry. It's been a decade now, it's fine. Some monster got into our apartment, and I've been living with grandma since. - She looked at the picture almost willfully, like she was talking to it. - She and grandpa have been raising me well.

-Is... your grandfather also...

-What? Oh, no, no, he's fine! Grandpa works as a dog trainer, so sometimes he spends most of the day out! Should be arriving any time soon, in fact. But anyway, come on in! \- Ryder said, opening the door to the right of the photo, into her room. Just for a second, Ellie noticed how Ryder's arms were covered in scars here and there. It seemed she had more history than Ellie thought she did.

Upon entering Ryder's room, however, the older girl immediately froze, having realized she'd forgotten to do something. It only took Ellie a cursory glance to figure out what. Aside from the regular things, such as a neatly made bed, a large armoire, a desk with many notebooks and other papers with Team Courier details on them, and a few boxes, Ryder's room also had countless bits of Magical Girl paraphernalia. She had many posters of different teams, some of them rolled up and kept on top of her armoire, little plush toys of teams like the Fortes and Team Outrageous, and even a big Heartful Punch glove, that Ellie knew had been from a special giveaway from a toy store earlier that year.

-You're a Magical Girl nerd! \- Shouted Ellie in glee. Ryder blushed heavily.

-You weren't meant to see that. \- She mumbled.

-Why not? All of this stuff is so cool!

-Those girls are all younger than me, though. It's... people might think it's weird.

-What? No! It's cool, there's so much rare stuff here!

Still a bit embarrassed, Ryder closed the door to her room.

-Well, please don't tell the others, alright? I don't like to talk much about this or anything.

-Hey, for what it's worth, I think you have good taste. Forte Lead's outfit in that poster is much better than the one she has now.

-Doesn't she! The old one looked so much more... \- Ryder caught herself,and blushed again. - Ahem. Yeah, I... I agree.

Ellie chuckled.

-Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut if you want me to. Don't think there would be any problem, though, none of the girls on the team would mind this much, I don't think. Unless you're trying to look cool for someone.

She joked, but Ryder went deadly quiet and looked concerned.

-Wait, _is_ there someone you're trying to look cool for? \- Another gear on her head turned. - ...do you... _like_ someone on the team?

None of Ryder's blushes until now compared to this one.

-You do!

-N-no! I don't! \- Ryder lied, badly. 

-Wait, is it me?

-What? No, no, it's not you!

-Then there is someone! \- Ellie answered, to Ryder's deep frustration.

-Ugh... I should have expected you to guess, what with you having a girlfriend and all.

-Wait what? I'm not dating anyone. \- Ellie lied, badly. Ryder caught on to the lie immediately.

-You would be horrible at poker. Plus, I think everybody who's ever seen you with Katia can guess you like each other.

-You think she does? \- Asked Ellie enthusiastically.

-You _don't_?

-I... I dunno. We're kinda going slow, not really having anything confirmed. I'm not sure that's what she wants, and I don't wanna make the wrong move and turn things worse, y'know.

Ryder put a hand on Ellie's shoulder in solidarity.

-I kinda get ya. It can get you nervous, not knowing if the other person wants the same thing you do. Trust me, being team leader only makes it worse.

-Oh? \- Ellie saw the chance to turn the tables, and took it eagerly. - So she _is_ on the team.

It was Ryder's turn to be awkward again.

-Look, Ryder, there's only so many girls on the team. I'm eventually gonna guess right here.

Ryder looked away, embarrassed, before answering:

-Phoebe.

Ellie's inner fangirl took complete control.

-Oh, you guys would look so great together! You should ask her out sometime!

-I... eh, no, I dunno, it's not like anything could happen right now anyways.

-Why not?

Ryder's face suddenly went serious, as if she remembered something important.

-Right. I asked you to come here because I wanted to talk to you about something serious. \- She turned to face Ellie properly. - Something that _has_ to stay between the two of us.

The tone of the room turned very suddenly from friendly to serious. Ellie hesitated for a second, but nodded in agreement. On that, Ryder stood up and checked outside her door.

-I haven't told my grandma yet. Don't want her to worry.

Ryder sat on the chair at her own desk, and motioned for Ellie to sit on the bed. Once they were both seated, she began.

-A few nights ago, when I was attacked by those monsters... it wasn't just the monsters. Somebody led me to them, then lit up some spotlights to stop me from using my powers properly. It was... an attempt on my life.

Ellie didn't know how to take this. Was she being hazed, or something? Ryder took a moment, then continued.

-At one point, I saw the person doing it, and... well, I couldn't see them properly, because of all the lights, but I'm certain that it was a Magical Girl. She struggled with me and threw me back into the trap. No regular person could have just done that.

-I... see. - Said Ellie, processing the information. - Do you...

-There's one more thing. \- Ryder interrupted. - I... looked into a few things. Had a hunch, asked around, and... well, see, the thing is, not a lot of people know how my power really works. I made a big effort to not spread it around when I started patrolling for some reason, so it's kind of a small secret, which means... it means the person who did this has to be a member of Team Courier.

A long, slightly panicked silence took place as Ellie absorbed the implications there.

-You're kidding.

-No. The only people who know how my power works are the girls at Team Courier. Well, Logan and my grandma know too, but frankly if it's them then I just give up.

-But... but what you're saying is... if that's true, then one of our friends in the team has to be...

- _At least_ one. There's a good chance it's more than one. There were a lot of spotlights to just take away like that with how fast they did it.

Ellie's heart sank. At least one, if not more. She had been making friends with those girls, and one of them might have tried to get Ryder killed. Any of them.

A thought came to her.

-Why are you trusting me with this?

-Well. \- Ryder adjusted her posture on the chair. - Two main things. First, because you had just joined when that happened, so you had no reason to do it, and very little idea of how my power works to do it with. And second, because of the logs. I checked all of you girls' logs on the day after, remember? And the only one that doesn't have any inconsistency in it is yours and Dawn's. I double-checked with the teams they met that night, and at the time of the attack, every other pair has something wrong with theirs.

-And you didn't think to talk to Dawn?

-Dawn... well, to be honest, I think she's gone through too much these last few months already.

Ellie went deep into thought, for a good few minutes.

-You're... taking this much more calmly than I expected. \- Said a slightly concerned Ryder. 

-I'm pushing the whole idea out by thinking about it in detail. \- Ellie answered, bouncing ideas on her head. - And it still feels unreal to me.

-Ah. Fair.

-Wait, no, not that I think you're lying! I just... it's a lot to take in.

-No, that's fair, it's...

-Ryder. \- Ellie suddenly spoke up. A thought had come to her, and she couldn't avoid the logic of it, and so it brought her back to the real world. - I don't think that trap you fell for is the first time.

Another moment of silence, this one just as serious as the last. Ryder motioned Ellie to continue.

-I can think of two other moments that happened the way you're describing. Person call out, monster traps you, you nearly die, right? Well, one of my first nights I had that encounter with a bat when I was delivering a message with Dawn.

-Right.

-And that description also matches the way Dawn described the night that Celina died.

A much longer moment of silence took place. Ryder reclined on her chair.

-That would mean... someone is targeting people around Dawn?

-It's just an idea, they might be coincidences, but...

-It's not out of hand. \- Said Ryder dryly. - I mean, I'm already considering my whole team suspects, there's very little that's out of hand now. Still.

Ryder adjusted her posture again.

-We'll have to consider that, but for now, pondering about why they might have done things or how doesn't help us much. We need to check on the rest of the team. That's the reason I brought you here. I need your help.

-You have it. \- Said Ellie. She was still unsure about all this, true. But she trusted Ryder not to lie about something like that, and if she could help, then she owed it to her to do so. - So what are we going to do?

-I have a plan.


	10. With Skill And Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Courier gets a new place to crash in. Ellie volunteers as tribute. A dashing swordswoman wows her audience. Questions are asked and avoided.
> 
> Special thanks to Krekalie for the cameo.  
> 
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

Ryder opened the door, getting the first look inside as the others followed her in.

The new Team Courier headquarters was surprisingly spacious, even having a small second floor balcony. Turns out Cyrus, who Ryder was growing increasingly respectful of, had managed to find an old music store that had recently closed down, and refurbish it with some nice, if old, furniture: old metal lockers lined the wall under the balcony with some benches in front of them, a set of chairs and a blackboard, a rather large notice board set up by the entrance, and a large, old wooden table on the balcony above, alongside some office cabinets. It all looked ratty and in need of repair, but to Ryder, it was _her team's_ headquarters, and she loved it.

 _Just don't forget one of them wants you dead_ , said Ryder's brain. She angrily chased that thought away for now, trying to get back her enjoyment of the moment. She had earned it, dammit.

And really, Ryder did like the place. She had never even dreamed of something like this, having spent years alone and then months meeting with her team in some middle school classroom. Now, now Team Courier had a proper HQ. People could find them whenever they needed, post notices, have them deliver bigger packages. They had everything they needed here to make the team a real mainstay, especially...

-IT'S RIGHT BY MAMA'S MAHOS! \- Shouted Maddie, keeping her priorities straight.

Ryder actually giggled at that. Subtlety aside, Maddie was right: the new HQ was close to the school and the central station, just a block or two from Mama's Mahos. It was perfectly positioned to be in the center of the city, accessible to anyone who needed their services.

Amidst the group, Ellie herself was rather moved by this whole thing. The group had spread out to check different parts of the place, but Ellie couldn't help but focus on the lockers.

One of them had her name.

It was oddly comforting, to see herself represented amidst the others like that. It hadn't really occurred to her until now how at home she'd been feeling with the team these past two weeks, but this brought it all to the surface.

-I can assume, then, that you all like the new place, yeah? \- Said the voice of an older man as he walked down the stairs.

Cyrus, for lack of a better explanation, looked tired. He walked with hunched shoulders and a seemingly half-done beard, wearing an old, brown suit that seemed to have weathered many a year, and tiny rectangular glasses in front of beady eyes with huge bags under them. It was clear that he was somewhere around middle-aged, although one wouldn't guess that from his half red, half white hair. In general, he just looked like he needed a really good night's sleep, but hadn't gotten on in ages.

-It's amazing. \- Answered Ryder, who then turned back to the team. - Girls, this is Cyrus Trey. He's our manager I've been talking about, the one who got all of this set up for us.

-And the interview tomorrow afternoon. Don't forget that. \- He said, reaching into his pocket for something.

-Absolutely. I've told Dawn and Ellie to get ready for it as well. And really, Cyrus, thanks for this. I couldn't have imagined a better place.

Cyrus looked at her with a somewhat incredulous look, clearly ready to remark that she could, but decided not to, simply accepting her thanks with a nod. He then looked towards the rest of the team.

-And these, I imagine, are the rest of the girls I represent now, right? All... \- He seemed to start counting, then gave up. - many of them.

-You seem happy about it. \- Remarked Sandra sarcastically, crossing her arms in a somewhat defiant manner. Cyrus raised an eyebrow at her, then looked back over the team.

-Sandra and Tamara, partners. Your old manager had some issues with you being rude, so I hear. \- He said, pointing to Tamara, who scoffed. He then moved to the next pair. - Helen and Phoebe. Supposedly thematic, although I can't find anyone who can tell me why. You're the quiet one, you're the friendly one, right?

Both girls confirmed. He continued.

-You, your name is Chris. Spent half of your first year unregistered, then joined in with Future's Promise, right? And your partner is the purple one over there, Melissa. \- He pointed to the girl, who'd been sitting quietly on a bench thus far, and stood up startled. - Don't bother, I'm not gonna chew you out for anything. Let's see... You, you're the newest girl, Ellen. Fought some big monster recently and tore a pipe from under a street. You're lucky the city covers these expenses. And your partner is the tall one, Dawn. Don't worry, I won't bother you neither. I read your file, you need peace of mind more than anybody here.

He waved his hand at her, as if he had the power to give her that himself. Dawn herself didn't seem too pleased about what he said.

-And these last two are Jasmine, and you \- he pointed to Maddie. - are the one I need to talk about some boxes in the school, that apparently you use for an obstacle course or something? Apparently they're full of random stuff.

-Oh, my props! \- She remarked. - I keep them in those boxes, yeah. I don't live near the school so I gotta keep the stuff for the pranks somewhere.

Cyrus looked twice as tired for a moment, almost as if he was about to start berating her but then quickly gave up.

-Anyway. This enough research for you? \- He looked to Sandra, daring her to speak. She scoffed, but said nothing. - Alright. I'm gonna let you all get on with your business. If we're lucky, most of you won't ever really have to deal with me much and we'll all have very peaceful times in our hands. Ryder, if you need me, I'm in my office upstairs.

So he said, and so he went back up the stairs, entering a small room by the side of the balcony.

-Apparently he decided to move his office here. Which makes sense, his "office" before was his living room. So he's sort of moving up with this as well. \- Said Ryder with a knowing look at Maddie, who snickered in her place. - Anyway, before I hand out assignments for the night, I need to run some things by you girls.

Ellie perked up. She knew what was coming.

-The first thing is this. \- She pulled a rather large box up onto one of the benches. - From now on, we'll be leaving this box at school so people can drop their notes and messages for us to deliver. Every day, one of us brings everything inside it back here at the end of the day. It'll help our job big time. I'll be taking it tomorrow, and from then on we can establish a rotation. Everyone cool with that?

Most girls nodded. Tamara mumbled a bit, but relented.

-Second, and more important: what with my shoulder still being kinda injured from that fight the other day, the doctors told me to go patrol with someone else for a little while. Now I'm no fan of that idea, but after being constantly nagged... by everyone... that I should do that, I decided to take advantage of this to help Ellie get a bit more settled into the job.

Most of the team seemed confused.

-Here's what we'll do: for the next few days, Dawn will be pairing with me to make sure I'm being careful. I'm sure she'd accept no other opinion. \- Dawn stoically nodded. - So I'm going to be assigning Ellie to a different pair every night, so she can learn from helping you girls. It does sorta mean that we'll each have to cover more ground, but it won't be that different from the weeks before she joined, and it should only be for a few days, so I'm sure we'll all be fine. Any issues?

Tamara raised her hand, but seeing that Sandra hadn't, Ryder ignored her. The other girls all seemed ok with the idea.

-Alright. Then, Ellie, you'll be going with Helen and Phoebe tonight, to the northern part of town. Should be pretty safe, and they'll be a good start for you. Everybody else...

The rest of the meeting went on as usual, but Ellie didn't listen much. This was the plan she and Ryder had agreed to: Ellie would spend a few nights with the other pairs, listening and asking and seeing how they operated, not only trying to gather information, but also to make it very clear to whoever had set the trap for Ryder that she was looking, and she had an ally. Their hope, as neither girl had a concrete suspect or conclusion, was that they would either obtain proof, or bait the culprit into making a mistake.

...this plan did, yes, have the downside of Ellie essentially acting as bait. But, since the entire team would know who she was with, they hoped this would be enough to dissuade any attempts from the culprit. They were still worried, of course, and Ryder's original plan had her be the one going out to ask stuff instead, while Ellie stayed with Dawn to keep her safe, but (as Ellie reminded her), Ryder was still injured, which just made her a bigger target.

 _And, quite frankly, I still have difficulty believing any of these girls would try something_ , admitted Ellie to herself. She had only known them for two weeks, but she couldn't imagine anyone in the team making an attempt on someone's life. Still, she was carrying a second, hidden flare just in case. And, in order to keep things orderly, she'd brought a new noteblock, which she'd use to keep dates and information jotted down.

She hoped everything would be ok.

\--------------------------------------------------

**Night 1 - Phoebe & Helen**

Ellie scribbled that on her notebook before leaving for patrol with the two. For this one, Ellie felt quite safe. Phoebe didn't seem like she could hurt a fly, and Helen... well, Ellie hadn't talked to Helen much. The girl had mostly sat on the bleachers to study while the others went on the training course. Ellie had a general idea that Helen was older than her and that her powers involved a sword, but didn't know much more than that.

It was her surprise, then, to find out that Helen and Phoebe were actually thematic. They shared barely any similarities, with Helen's powers and outfit being rather different (even including a cape!), although now that she knew they were thematic, Ellie could kind of see a resemblance. Or so she thought. She could have been thinking too hard about it. Helen herself, for her part, barely spoke all night, leaving Phoebe to instruct Ellie and lead the trio. Phoebe explained that as Helen being more introspective, and that even when Helen spoke, she did so in a rather quiet voice. It occurred to Ellie that she had never heard her voice at all.

Overall, their night was quiet. There had been more monsters on the street than usual lately, but even then they were lucky enough to run into isolated monsters more often than not. What few they did run into, however, were enough to leave Ellie rather impressed at Helen, who quietly chopped every single one with her sword, often before they could even reach her. At one rather memorable moment, they were attacked by three Snarks, a fact that Ellie was only made aware of when she heard the noise of Helen's sword slicing through the air high above her head: the girl had jumped from the ground, onto a wall, then cut the monsters in midair, all in an instant and without making a noise, then landed calmly as if nothing had happened, taking only a slight second to put her hair back in place. Ellie clapped enthusiastically.

-Isn't she great? \- Asked Phoebe, stuffing her chest with pride for her partner. - She's practically my bodyguard on most nights!

-That was amazing! \- Said Ellie, and she wasn't lying. - Although... now that you mention it, Phoebe, I don't think I've ever seen you fight.

-Oh, I don't... it's not too impressive or anything, you know, my power isn't made for fighting so I kinda have to work around it, and I'm not too...

Helen tapped Phoebe's head softly with the hilt of her sword.

-You're cool. \- She said in a very silent voice, and walked on, taking the lead. Ellie had barely heard that, but was still surprised it had happened. Phoebe, now a bit sheepish about the whole thing, started over.

-My power, it's a bit unusual, you know? If someone's looking at me, I can make them see a static illusion of myself, and move about without them noticing. Works for pretty much anyone or anything that's looking at me at that moment, and it makes me faster and I think a bit stronger too while it's in effect? But if you're not looking at me when I do it then you can see through the illusion. It's a bit complicated. \- She said, a bit bashful about the whole business.

-I see. \- Ellie smiled reassuringly. She had somewhat understood what Phoebe meant, but an opportunity appeared on her head. - Say... I know we spent a lot of the last week or so since I joined training on the obstacle course, but Ryder was telling me you girls only go there once a week, right?

-Oh, yeah, we normally only go there once or twice a week.

-So... what do you girls do when you don't go there? \- Asked Ellie, in complete glee over how her bait had worked. Perhaps too much glee, as Phoebe noticed it and smiled back herself.

-Curious about the others, huh? \- She winked playfully at Ellie. _Thank goodness for Phoebe's niceness_ , thought Ellie. - Well, I don't much know about all the girls... I normally go to a restaurant near my place, I like helping out over there when I can. Keeps the community going, you know? And Helen normally goes home to study, unless it's a sword practice day. You take classes, right?

Helen nodded, then glanced at Ellie. Phoebe seemed to understand something from that.

-Oh, right! Sometimes lately we've all been going to Dawn's house to help her, since... well, since Celina. \- Phoebe's demeanor dropped a little. - That poor girl and her family. We've all been doing what we can, you know? We could hardly say no when Dawn asked us to help...

A small, uncomfortable moment of silence passed by as Phoebe seemed to struggle on whether to continue her phrase.

-...well... except for Maddie.

Ellie cocked her head in surprise.

-Maddie?

-Yeah. Maddie, I think, is the only girl besides you and Ryder who hasn't been to Dawn's to help her yet. At least that I know of. She won't tell me why either. \- Phoebe pouted.

-Huh. \- Said Ellie. She made a mental note of all that. - Dawn hasn't asked me to help yet. I was barely aware that was happening, even. I wonder why that is.

-Well, maybe she doesn't want to bother you? You could ask to help her, I'm sure she'd appreciate it!

-Eh, I dunno...

-Ellie, honey, you need to be more assertive sometimes. \- Phoebe said in a matter-of-fact tone. - You're a smart girl, but sometimes I see you think about stuff too much and get bogged down in it. That indecisiveness doesn't help anyone. Take it from me, hesitating like that only means you put things off too long.

-Oh? Personal experience? \- Asked Ellie, expecting another clue. Instead, what she saw was Phoebe blushing intensely.

-What? No! I... oh... Look, it's nothing, ok? \- She started talking really fast. - It's probably nothing anyway, it's not like she likes me, and I'm certain it's just me, I mean, probably everyone sees the stars on her hair and eyes and everything, that's just a normal thing from her, right, I'm probably just overthinking this...

Phoebe kept on walking and stammering on, leaving behind a jaw-dropped Ellie, who, incredulous, turned to Helen, as if asking for confirmation. Helen looked at Ellie for a second, thought about it, and then nodded affirmatively.

Ellie quietly squeed over this.

\--------------------------------------------------

-Whew! \- Exhaled Ryder. - That was a good warm-up!

In a different part of the city, Ryder and Dawn had just finished up a group of monsters, and stopped to take a breath over a rooftop. Ryder sat down by one of those rooftop gardens, pondering whether or not to steal a carrot to snack on, while Dawn perched herself on the edge to keep an eye out for monsters.

-It's been a while since you and I patrolled together, huh? \- She asked of Dawn.

-Not since the time Celina had a cold. \- Dawn answered quietly. Her demeanor left Ryder unsure if bringing that up had been a bad idea or not; her friend didn't seem that bothered by it, at least not as she would have been a few days earlier.

-You've improved a lot since then. Took those tips I gave you about movement?

-Yeah. \- Dawn nodded. - Helped a lot. Synchronizing with the eagle. Helps keep an eye on the field.

That was the most Ryder had heard Dawn talk since Celina had gone missing. Maybe her and Ryder's friendship was still a thing after all, she considered with a smile.

-I'm still surprised that idea hadn't come up before. You fought for so long before we met, but your technique was still so limited back then.

-No need to change. Didn't think of it.

_That isn't exactly true_ , Ryder thought to herself, sitting down beside where Dawn was standing while munching her carrot. Ryder distinctly remembered Celina coming to complain to her about the changes Dawn had made, saying that there was no need for them to change anything. Ryder disagreed: there had been a marked change in how often the two got small injuries, and couldnt help but think it had been her advice that caused that. Still, better not to press the issue.

-Well, now might be a good time, since you're partnering with Ellie and all. How's that been going, by the way?

For once, Dawn removed her eyes from her surroundings, instead looking down, pensive.

-Well. Ellie's nice. And learns quick.

A quiet moment. Ryder had learned to interpret Dawn's silences since they had met, and this one was a particular thing. Dawn was thinking, trying to come up with words to describe something she was.. well, unsure wasn't quite the word, but she was still hesitant to say it.

-Ellie's a good friend. \- She said after a few seconds. Ryder smiled, pleased.

\--------------------------------------------------

**Night 2 - Maddie & Jasmine**

-'sup, girls? \- Said Maddie, sitting on top of a fence. Ellie and Jasmine had gone to meet her there to start patrol, as Maddie hadn't shown up to HQ.

-You can't avoid Ryder forever, Maddie. \- Said Jasmine, looking cross. Maddie chuckled.

-Interview went well, then? \- She asked Ellie.

-Oh, it went great. \- Ellie answered, highly amused. - Ryder's still going to kill you for the prank you pulled there, though. I'd suggest facing her sooner rather than later. Oh, by the way, you missed the message box rotation. We set up a schedule for everyone. I'm bringing the messages to HQ tomorrow, and you're the day after that.

-Yeah, yeah. \- Maddie hopped from the top of the fence, transforming on the way down. - Don't worry, I won't stonewall her anymore.

-Ugh! \- Grumbled Jasmine at that pun. - You've done better.

-Hey, practice whenever you can. \- Answered Maddie with her usual mischievous smile.

Ellie giggled. Up until half an hour ago, she and Jasmine had never interacted much, so being assigned to cover her and Maddie that night had also included being introduced to Jasmine properly for the first time. The older girl was probably the tallest person in the team after Dawn, with bright white hair and an interesting, almost all white outfit that made it seem as if she was wearing a zipped-up longcoat.

-Hi \- She said in a cheerful voice. - We haven't spoken much, right? I'm Jasmine. You might have seen me hanging around with Maddie a few times!

Jasmine extended her hand and shook Ellie's. While the two headed towards where Maddie had hidden herself, she told Ellie a lot about herself, how she and Maddie had met because of their high grades, and that she always seemed cross to people because of how she tried to act as the more balanced one of the two to counter Maddie. So seeing their interaction now amused Ellie quite a bit, as Jasmine had clearly long since failed to be the stabilizing influence she thought of herself as.

The night went on to be quite busy for the trio. Unlike the previous night, this one they seemed to run into monsters at almost every corner. Overall, this helped Ellie understand the two girls's fighting styles quite well, but it also didn't leave much room for questions. It took until almost the end of the night for the three to get any conversation going again.

-I never want to see another spider-eye thingy ever again. \- Said an angry Maddie.

-Oh, come off it, those ones are not that bad. \- Responded Jasmine, waving goodbye to Team Melty, who had offered them a hand after receiving a message.

-I don't disagree \- answered Ellie - but I could do with there being less of them.

Jasmine turned around, her eyes once again glowing with inquisitiveness.

-You don't fight many of those with Dawn?

-Not really, no. We fly around a lot, so we don't attract many of these ground guys unless we decide to go after them ourselves.

-Must be easier with her eagle. I gotta punch each one myself. \- Maddie continued to complain.

-And what about Ryder?

Ellie raised an eyebrow to Jasmine's question.

-What about her?

-Well, you fought beside her a couple of times, right? That's more than I ever did. And she fights melee like Maddie, so it seems a good comparison.

Ellie pondered about that for a moment.

-I dunno, actually. Ryder's style is different from Maddie's. You know, what with her power and everything.

Jasmine mumbled a bit to herself before picking the conversation up.

-Right... you know, I don't really get why she keeps her powers to herself all that much. It's not like they're especially weird or anything. Maddie's powers are weirder than that.

-Gee, thanks.

-Is that such an issue, though? \- Asked Ellie, judging Jasmine's reaction. The girl seemed embarrassed.

-Well, I just... I like knowing stuff, ok? I know it makes me seem a bit nosy sometimes, I just don't like it when people are keeping secrets like that for no reason. Like Maddie here \- Jasmine tried changing subjects. - who's been keeping quiet about why she hasn't helped Dawn yet!

-Hey, c'mon! \- Protested Maddie. - I told you I got reasons for it!

-Yeah, but you're keeping quiet about it!

-Well, they're personal! \- Said Maddie, with an exaggerated motion as if she was holding onto something precious. - I get to have some mystery too, don't I? Plus, I...

She stopped talking at the same time as the other two: they'd found some more monsters. This time, thankfully, these weren't eye guys, but instead some weird, humanoid things with claws, and... suspenders? Ellie wasn't sure what these ones looked like.

-Yo, El, stay back for this round. \- Said Maddie. - I saw you stopping for breath after the last fight, we can deal with this. You just sit back and watch us fight, it'll be good learnin'.

Without waiting for confirmation, Maddie jumped in. For all her bravado, watching Maddie fight was an impressive sight. She lacked the grace Helen had displayed last night, but she compensated by being far more skilled than one would expect. Due to her power, Maddie could maneuver from midair, which meant more often than not she'd completely change trajectory to avoid an attack, then land a hit on a frustrated monster in exchange. It was a sight to behold.

-Hey. \- Said Jasmine. - Wanna see what my power is too?

Ellie nodded, to which Jasmine touched her on the shoulder.

-Tag. You're it. \- She said, winking... then immediately speeding from where she was to Maddie's spot, a good hundred meters away, in less than a second, kicking a monster on the face in the process. Once there, she grabbed one monster under her arm, touched Maddie's shoulder, then did the exact same thing, arriving at Ellie with a monster's disembodied head, taken clean off due to her sheer speed. She seemed very pleased.

-You... can run away from what you touch at high speeds?

-Yup! I'm invulnerable while I do it, too, so if something hits me, that thing's gonna go flying. I don't know if I need to say tag, but it's fun, so I do it anyway. \- Jasmine put her hands on her hips, very satisfied.

-Hey Jazz! Take over here for a sec, would ya! \- Shouted Maddie from where she was. The two changed places, as Jasmine went to deal with the few remaining monsters and Maddie strolled back.

-Yo! Look, just so I can make this clear \- She said, dropping her voice a little. - it's not that I have anything against Dawn, alright? It's really just a personal thing that I'm taking care of. Oh, and uh... Jasmine can be a bit too forceful with wanting answers sometimes, but don't hold it too much against her. I try to help her notice she's going too far.

-Sort of like how she tries to stop your puns?

Maddie blew a raspbery at Ellie, who laughed.

\--------------------------------------------------

On Ryder and Dawn's side, the night was relatively unremarkable. They didn't get to talk much, but ran into a lot of monsters and saw a lot of different teams. At one point, they ran into a girl, an old rivalry of Ryder's, who had white hair and fought a few monsters alongside them, using shields to attack. She needled Ryder about how Team Courier still lacked a cameraperson, saying there was no point on them collaborating if they weren't going to be onscreen. Ryder reminded her that Team Courier moved too much for that, and the two went different ways, with Ryder telling Dawn that they had always been at odds like that, and at this point there was little reason to change things.

On the following day, a few hours after class, Ryder (on Ellie's request, who had assured her this was nothing too serious) showed up early to Team Courier's HQ. After hanging around for a bit, she spotted not Ellie, but Phoebe instead (her heart skipped a little beat), who was carrying the message box Ellie was supposed to bring.

-Ellie said she had something she needed to take care of. \- Said Phoebe, handing Ryder the tote bag with all the messages. - She said she would meet us at Mama's Mahos, and told me to give you this.

Phoebe produced a little folded note, which said on it "Ryder only" in Ellie's handwriting, as well as silver ink from a gel pen. Having been completely thrown off by all of this, Ryder opened the note in a bit of a hurry, now very curious to see what was inside.

Ryder,

You might have guessed, but I'm gonna be a no-show. Sorry!

So I guess you're gonna have to go to Mama's with Phoebe! I'm sure it'll be a great sacrifice \o/

Oh, hey, Maddie tells me they serve drinks with two straws there if you ask. Keep it in mind...

Good luck!

...

Ryder was going to kill Ellie.

Or thank her. She wasn't sure which yet.

She looked up from the note to Phoebe. Did the girl look a bit nervous? Wait, did Ryder look nervous right now? She wasn't sure.

-So, uh... should we go to Mama's Mahos, then? \- Ryder asked.


	11. Crisis, Clods and Common Contraries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romance shakes things up. Ellie would rather be alone. Ryder fumbles a charisma check. A glaring contradiction is exposed. Someone visits Team Courier HQ.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

Ryder was suddenly very aware of how old her current hoodie was as she and Phoebe entered Mama Maho's. She had only been to the diner a few times before, courtesy of having to lead a team while also living on the edge of the city. Still, this was a pleasant spot, especially for girls like her. Mama herself wasn't there yet, so the only two people were a woman in her thirties sitting behind the register and a much younger boy sweeping the floor between some tables. Ryder and Phoebe picked one that was closer to the entrance, so as to not get in his way.

-You, uh, come here a lot? \- Asked Ryder as she took her seat.

-Yeah, me and Maddie come here all the time. We both live nearby, so we meet here when patrol is over to chat about stuff. I think we've been coming here ever since we met.

-That's neat.

Conversation died. Both girls immediately panicked about the other thinking they were boring.

 _Maybe I could bring up the team? Wait, no, that's work, you don't want to bring that up. Oh no, what else do I even have that I can talk about?_ , wondered Ryder in a panic.

-You know, they used to have these really nice teas here. \- Tried Phoebe.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah... I don't think they have them anymore, though. Sold out or something.

-Oh.

Conversation died again. Ryder found herself begging for someone to come take their orders soon. Little did she know they were intentionally taking their time so the girls could talk without interruption. Thankfully, a topic emerged from some corner of her mind.

-Say \- Ryder started - I saw you were putting a book on your locker at HQ the other day. I could barely see the cover, but it seemed interesting. What was it about?

-Oh! - Phoebe's eyes seemed to glow all of a sudden. - It's this really interesting book about a Magical Girl who gets sent forward in time, and has to save everyone from...

From there on, Phoebe launched into a long monologue about the series, the protagonist, about why everyone liked the third book but that the second one was actually the best in the series, why the love interest was a bad choice and which side character would fit her better, and so on. Ryder, no matter how hard she tried, couldn't understand what half of it meant, but she wasn't too bothered. Watching Phoebe being enthusiastic about her book was adorable in itself, and so Ryder was surprised when Phoebe interrupted herself.

-Oh, sorry, I... I've been talking for a while, haven't I? My bad, it's kind of a dorky thing.

-I don't mind. \- Said Ryder, in an honest reaction. - I actually think it's kinda cute.

Both girls blushed wildly.

 _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAWHYDIDISAYTHAT_ , panicked Ryder.

Thankfully, the young man with the broom from earlier arrived to take their order, saving both of them from that situation.

-I'll be having a strawberry shake. \- Said Phoebe.

-And I'll be having a... chocolate one.

The young man wrote down their order and left. Phoebe also got up, excusing herself to go to the bathroom. Seeing a possibility, and quite frankly feeling bold, Ryder called the young man back and asked for the shake to come with two straws. He looked amused for a second and asked if she was sure, to which she confirmed, not exactly understanding why he'd asked that. A few minutes later, when Phoebe was already back, she understood why: as their orders arrived, their shakes arrived: Phoebe's with a single straw, Ryder's with two.

She had forgotten they both asked for shakes.

Ryder started having a small freakout, wondering how exactly she could save that situation, but before she even could, Phoebe put her shake aside and put Ryder's in the middle of the table, pulling one of the straws to herself.

Oddly, that made Ryder calmer somehow. Kind of comforting. She picked the other straw, and both began to drink the shake, their heads close together.

_ She might be the one trying to kill you. _

Ryder unconsciously jolted herself back, and cursed heavily inside her own head. Why had that come up to her just now? Why did it _have_ to come up? She was enjoying herself!

She looked over to Phoebe, who had obviously been startled by this. Unable to offer a proper explanation, Ryder apologized, lying about there being a bug or something. She wasn't entirely sure Phoebe bought the excuse, but they both retreated to their own shakes, deciding to go back to HQ when they were done, as Ellie clearly (and intentionally, as Ryder knew) wasn't going to show up.

On their way back, Ryder decided to take one last shot, lightly grabbing Phoebe's hand. The other girl reciprocated, although with some clear hesitation, which eased some of Ryder's concerns.

But not all of them. She _had_ to deal with this, soon. It couldn't take over her whole life like that. She was going to find them. She _had to_.

The arrival of the two girls at HQ, together and sort of holding hands, did not go unnoticed by the others, who at that point had all been waiting for upwards of ten minutes. Loud whispers flew around the group.

-And here I thought she was dating some boy! \- Said Jasmine.

-What? Nah, Ryder hasn't been dating in a long time, I don't think. \- Answered Chris. - She told me once the last time she dated was some guy a few years back.

-Wait, seriously? I thought that was someone else on the team who was dating a guy. \- Interjected a curious Maddie.

-I am. \- Said Tamara from the back, causing widespread surprise.

- _You_ are? \- Said Chris, as well as half the team, in shock. Tamara just scoffed and left. 

-Huh. And here I thought I was the only one in the team who had been dating someone this year. \- Commented Sandra.

-You were dating someone?

-Oh yes she was! \- Said Ellie with glee, causing Sandra to scoff. - She had a boyfriend for a bit at the start of the year. It was kinda cute, Katia got all jealous and wouldn't accept...

Suddenly, Ellie had a small epiphany, and couldn't contain herself.

-Wait, that's what your deal with me is! \- She said to Sandra. - You're jealous of all the attention Katia's giving me because we're dating! You're jealous that I'm the one who spends more time with her!

-Wh-WHAT! \- Sandra backed off, blushing and immediately giving the game up. - NO! No I'm not! I... Shut up!

She shouted, and left towards the lockers, leaving behind a satisfied Ellie... for a few seconds.

-So. \- Chris and Maddie slid towards Ellie. - You _are_ dating Katia, then?

Ellie found herself in a hole she had dug with her own hands. Happily, Ryder came back down from the stairs at that exact moment, holding something in her hands.

-Oh, hey, good, you're all here. \- She looked around and noticed the absence of some. - Most of you. Anyway. Ellie, you're with Sandra and Tamara tonight.

-Oh, good. \- Ellie sarcasmed at her.

-Hey, don't complain, you knew that would happen eventually. \- Ryder replied. - And while we're on this subject... Maddie?

Ryder said this in her sweetest, kindest voice, which made both Ellie and Chris back away. Maddie stood still on her spot.

-...yes?

-Here. \- Said Ryder cheerfully, handing her a rather large nametag on a string. - You're going to wear this tonight.

Maddie picked the tag. It said, in bright pink letters on a light green background, "Hello! My name is HERBIE HIND!". The name Maddie had used to prank Ryder during the interview. Maddie hesitantly looked back to Ryder, who still had an unnaturally large and cheerful smile.

-You're going to wear this tonight. \- She repeated. It wasn't a request.

Reluctantly, Maddie put the nametag on, which seemed to please Ryder a great amount. Maddie seemed unconvinced, and was about to ask if there was anything else, when Cyrus entered HQ, a cup of coffee in his hand, took one look at Maddie, and, his expression unchanging, loudly snorted, and hurried himself up to his office.

Maddie spent the rest of the afternoon frowning.

\--------------------------------------------------

**Night 3 - Sandra & Tamara**

A rather large steel ball rolled down the street, crushing small monsters on it's path before shrinking, hitting the ground with a dinky _plink_ sound. As it settled, Tamara picked it up, putting it back in her pocket. That was her power, Ellie had learned. She could make things bigger or smaller. Not just the steel balls, she could do that to a lot of things, but since she lacked a lot of material to do that when the barrier was up, she carried some objects to use as ammunition with her.

Quite frankly, Ellie didn't care. Tamara was a jerk, and the last few hours with her hadn't exactly been amusing. She wasn't sure how to get anything out of her, either. Tamara just insisted on being a jerk no matter what they did, criticizing or avoiding conversation, sometimes both. By this point in the night, Ellie had resigned herself to quietly walking alongside Sandra, who floated around on a bubble.

Sandra's powers, those Ellie was already familiar with. She and Katia had been the eager audience for when Sandra first tested them, back a year ago when she had had the Dream. Sandra could make bubbles of any size as well as durability, and control them to do what she wanted. She could also make them pop and cause a rather strong explosion with this, but it was hard for her to do. Well, at least it was back when Ellie and Katia had first watched her do it. Sandra and Ellie hadn't been on the greatest of terms since.

Which rounded back into the whole "silent night" thing they had going on right now.

-Look, I'm sorry, ok? \- Ellie broke first, intensely bored and annoyed with her night thus far. - Sorry for saying you're jealous of me.

-Hm. \- Sandra dismissed her.

-Agh, come on, at least answer me or something. I'm gonna be with you all night anyway. And it's hardly my fault, all right? I'm doing this for Ryder and Dawn's sake more than anything.

This seemed to get through to Sandra a little bit. She looked toward Ellie for the first time in the night.

-Hey, uh... Dawn. How is she?

-She's fine. Still a bit traumatized, but fine.

-Really?

The sincerity in Sandra's voice caught Ellie off-guard, and shook her out of her funk. She looked back to the older girl.

-Yeah. I mean... well, she's having a hard time dealing with all this stuff, yeah. But it seems like she's been improving, you know?

-Good. \- Answered Sandra. - It's good she's improving. She deserves better than what she got. I remember when we found her inside that basement, with Celina. Wasn't a pretty picture. Poor girl really deserves the best she can get.

For a brief moment, Ellie could actually see her old sort of friend back in Sandra's semblance. A bit different, yeah, but behind the many ruffles of her dress and the rough personality, she was kind of still there, apparently.

So, obviously, Tamara interjected.

-Hey, if we're talking about Dawn, can I tell her what I think?

-Tamara, you're my friend, but don't test it. \- Sandra reprimanded her, again surprising Ellie. She seemed genuinely angry now.

-Aw, come on! She's the one who wants to chat, right?

-Tamara, I'm warning you. \- She said, and it was final. But now Ellie could see an opportunity.

-Actually... if you don't mind, I kinda wanna hear this.

Sandra looked at her in disbelief, before dismissing the whole thing in irritation.

-Fine! But go talk over there. I'm not obligated to hear this stuff.

-Ok, so, hear me out! \- Started Tamara when Ellie reached her, talking loud enough for Sandra to hear anyway. - What I'm thinking, I was saying this to Sandra the other day, is that I'm surprised Dawn isn't more pissed off at Ryder, right? Cuz like, Ryder and Celina, they weren't getting along too well before Celina went missing, and Ryder knew that part of the city had been getting less patrols lately!

-And I've told you \- Snapped Sandra. - to stop implying that Ryder got Celina killed on purpose!

-I'm not, I'm not! I'm just saying, I'm surprised Dawn didn't come to a conclusion that, like, Ryder was sending them there as a punishment or something, y'know?

-I'm not surprised at all you would think that. \- Answered Sandra with some disgust. - Now can we drop this subject?

Tamara put her hands in the air, and followed on, deciding to crush some more monsters ahead. Ellie just watched this whole scene, slack-jawed.

-So why are you friends with her again? \- She asked of Sandra when the other girl floated near her again.

-Ugh, you wouldn't get it. She's alright.

-She's a jerk.

Sandra glared at Ellie, who just shrugged.

-Tamara... she doesn't expect much of people, yeah? She doesn't judge.

-She seems pretty judgy.

-Do you want the explanation or not?

-Ok, ok, sorry. Go on.

-Ugh... look, it's just... She's a jerk to everyone equally, you know? You can be nice to her or be a jerk to her, she'll just look at you and not really care much. So there's no expectation there. I don't have to be nice when I don't want to be, and if I'm rude she'll just call me rude and move on, no real grudge or anything. So when we're talking I can just do what I want, and she's not gonna think less of me for it. It's... freeing, y'know.

-Hm. \- Ellie pondered. - She is still a jerk, though.

-Well, yeah. \- Admitted Sandra. - But she's willing to listen to me when I'm feeling jealous of you and doesn't talk smack at me about it. So I'm fine with that.

Ellie could kind of understand that. She thought.

\--------------------------------------------------

Two more monsters ran her way. Ryder took position, ready. The one on the right was faster, so she was going to dodge it. Duck under it's attack so it would go over her, and she could uppercut the one behind. Then use shadows to make the first one appear in front of herself so she could...

All of a sudden, Dawn's eagle flew through both monsters, instantly turning them to dust.

Ryder sighed.

-Thanks, Dawn. \- She said as the younger girl walked up to her. Dawn didn't pick up on the slight frustration in Ryder's tone. Almost immediately after that, the speakers over the street made their usual sound, and blared the announcement:

- _The inner barrier will deactivate shortly. Please make sure the streets are clear of monsters, and take care on your way home._

The two girls stared at the speaker for another minute or so as the Barrier washed away from the buildings around them, both absorbed in their own thoughts.

-I wonder how Ellie is doing. \- said Dawn, giving a rare voice to her thoughts.

-Should be fine. Sandra, at the very least, is responsible enough to help her.

Dawn murmured something to herself.

-What about you? \- Said Ryder. - Ever thought of doing what she's doing? Spending a few nights with the others on patrol, getting to know them better?

-Never had to.

-Aw, come on. Have you never been interested in seeing how the others work? You barely talk to them as it is.

-I was with Celina.

-Well, sure, but... I dunno, you could have not hanged out with her once in a while.

Dawn stopped immediately, turning an ugly glare at Ryder.

-Oh, come on, you know what I mean! Look at you and me, we've only patrolled together twice before this whole thing happened and still became friends!

-We were friends before already.

-Sure, but we got to know each other better! I'm just saying, I think some good would come out of you hanging around with the others more! Being with Ellie already helped you deal with Celina dying to start with, and...

-She is not dead. \- Dawn snapped back, her voice clearly hurt. - Is that why you made me go with Ellie?

-What? No! I _told_ you that I put you with Ellie because you two were without a pair! It was luck that she helped you with...

-With what?

The two stared each other in the eyes. Ryder sighed.

-Dawn, I know this has been tough on you, and I'm doing what I can to help. But me and Ellie can't be the only people you talk to. I know you loved Celina, but... she's not the only person that was ever in your life. There are other people here for you, who want to be beside you. But you need to open your eyes to that.

Dawn recoiled, cold fury in her eyes, almost seeming like a different person entirely. Without even bothering to answer, she simply turned away and left.

-No... wait, Dawn!

But it was too late. Dawn glided away on her eagle.

Frustrated, Ryder kicked a bit of the ground. _Shouldn't have said that._

This whole thing was getting to her.

\--------------------------------------------------

**Night 4 - Chris & Melissa**

-So she's just been training you now? \- Asked Chris.

-Yeah. \- Answered Ellie, slightly out of breath.. - I've mostly been training the timing for my power with her, but she also lets me bounce ideas for what I can do with. Although I'm still _far_ from understanding my power completely.

-You still haven't worked out that whole "stick your hand on the wall with ease" thing, huh?

-Ugh, no. No idea how to do that yet. It's so annoying.

-So I imagine. Oh, hold on for a sec. \- Chris raised her arm and shot off lightning, teleporting herself in front of a trio of fly-like monsters that they had been catching up to for a few minutes now, headbutting one while the shock stunned the other two. She glowed ever so slightly while doing this, an after-effect of her partner Melissa's power: she could make other girls stronger, focusing either on their physical abilities, their powers, or their durability. Judging by Chris' face, it hadn't been durability, so Ellie assumed Melissa was making her powers stronger instead, so as to make the stun effect.

Melissa was the other girl in the team that Ellie hadn't talked to much before. She always seemed friendly, but given Ellie had only seen her properly twice before, she couldn't really tell. Turns out, Melissa was exactly that: polite and very friendly. She was also, as Ellie took no time to find out, very eager to not come across as that: she constantly tried to use other people's inflections in her speech, even if they clashed horribly, and more than once tried to state some interesting knowledge fact, only to be corrected by a passing Jasmine on each attempt. More amusingly, she also seemed to become very irritated after each of these attempts, in a manner that Ellie couldn't help but find adorable. The girl, as it turned out, was a bit of a disaster.

So was her outfit, an ensemble of a short bell-sleeved dress, opera gloves, a hip scarf with little beads all over, knee-high boots and a shawl over her head, all of it in different tones of purple, which alongside her already purple long hair in a bun and purple eyes gave Ellie the impression that she was talking to a walking cup of grape juice. Melissa was _that_ purple.

Still, as the two stopped on their spot to watch Chris demolish the monsters ahead of them, she couldn't help but admire how well Melissa and Chris worked as a pair. Chris was able to jump into battle without a care in the world, knowing that Melissa would give her just the right boost at the right time, and so she did, making sure Chris could face just about any challenge, all without any communication between the two of them. It was like they'd been fighting together for years.

As Ellie thought about that, Chris finished the monsters, and was greeted with an even bigger one. She smiled and jumped at it, eager to continue her fight.

-Shouldn't we help her? \- Asked Ellie.

-Nah, she'll be fine. \- Answered Melissa with a clear smile on her face. - She likes to take these guys on by herself.

And so she did, jumping against the thing and beating it single-handedly, wrestling it to the ground, then suplexing it to finish it off. Melissa clapped.

-Well, that takes care of that. You girls alright here?

Both girls nodded.

-Ok, good. I think we're clear, then.

-Oh, by the way, Chris, were you the one who did that prank with Cyrus and the chalk thingy on his door today? \- Asked Melissa all of a sudden.

-What? Nah, that was Maddie. It's not really my style.

-Oh, good. \- Said Melissa. - I wasn't sure who to chalk that one up to.

Both Ellie and Chris paused for a second, looking at a very satisfied Melissa.

-No. \- Chris answered, shooting her down.

-Aw, what! Maddie can do it!

-It's not so much that she _can_ \- Chris replied - and more that we can't stop her. And honestly, honey, your puns are just bad.

Melissa pouted and puffed her cheeks at Chris' ribbing.

-Anyway, I'm gonna go into the hospital, see if they need anything else now we cleared their entrance up. You girls wait out here for me?

Ellie nodded (Melissa was still sulking), and Chris went in, leaving the two alone in the quiet night.

-Hey, uh, Ellie. \- Started Melissa, sitting on a fence nearby. - I kinda wanted to talk to you about something. Chris did too, but she doesn't really want to start anything.

-Oh?

-We just... ugh, there's no nice way to say this. It's just... with what happened recently, everyone's still too hung up to talk about this, but... don't let other people's impression of Celina go too much to your head, yeah?

_What the..._ thought Ellie. This she needed to hear. Melissa, picking up on Ellie's really obvious expression of incredulity, continued.

-It's just... even when she wasn't "missing", there was a lot of the sentiment that Celina was kind of perfect, yeah? And that wasn't really the case so much, but now that she's become this forbidden topic it's becoming even more of a thing, and... well, I just wanted you to know that Celina was human, too.

Ellie continued to be confused.

-Sigh... look. \- Melissa tried again. - I knew Celina before Team Courier formed. We... we dated for a while, yeah? It's why she knew later that recruiting me was a good idea. But... we didn't exactly part in the best of terms? There wasn't a fight or anything, she just... kind of started taking distance, I don't know why. Chris doesn't like her either, said Celina was lording something over her or something like that. It's just... it feels important to say, you know?

-About a dead girl? \- Asked Ellie, crossing her arms. Melissa once again sighed.

-I know. I must come across as horrible. I'm sorry. I just... I don't dislike Celina or anything, ok? I mean, I enjoyed myself when we were together, and she even thought to recruit me for the team later, and that's the best thing that's happened to me since I became a Magical Girl. It's just... there's a lot of idolizing Celina going around these days, and that's kind of unfair for both her and for Dawn, y'know? So I wanted you to know that she was human, not... Agh, I'm just tripping over myself right now. I didn't mean to come across as rude, I'm sorry.

Ellie stopped to ponder that. Melissa didn't seem to be lying or anything, nor did she seem malicious. It really seemed like she had a good intention, even if her way of going about it was... dubious. Maybe she deserved the benefit of the doubt.

-I think I see what you mean. \- Ellie responded. Melissa's face seemed to imply that Ellie's entire thought process had been very clear, but she also seemed a bit relieved to hear that. She sighed with some relief.

-Still, though, don't get me wrong. I didn't want any harm to come to her. I remember when we found Dawn that night, it was horrible.

Ellie needed a double take and a good five seconds before she internalized what Melissa had just said.

-You what?

-We found Dawn. You know, the night that... well. _That_ night. Me and Chris were the ones who found Dawn outside that building. She was in a horrible state, poor girl. Founder only knows what she saw in there.

-Yeah, I... can't imagine. \- Ellie responded mechanically, still processing that. Quite a few things had just stopped making sense. And then it got worse:

-It's horrible when something like that happens. Especially for her parents, having no body to bury. I almost wish we had found Celina, just for that, you know? That sense of closure.

Whatever response Ellie might have come up with to that, she didn't get to say it. Chris left the hospital at that moment, carrying a few packs of extra equipment they needed to deliver elsewhere. The three girls got to it, although, admittedly, Ellie spent the rest of the night very distracted by what she'd just heard.

\--------------------------------------------------

On Ryder and Dawn's side, they both spent the night silent. Dawn had, in fact, spent the entire day avoiding Ryder completely. That she had even shown up to patrol was a surprise, although Ryder thought she should have expected that. Dawn had never simply skipped patrol before. It made Ryder feel a bit guilty.

-I'm sorry for yesterday. \- She said, a good ways into the night, as the two found themselves in a quiet bit of town. Dawn didn't respond. - I... look. For what it's worth, I do think that talking to the others would be good for you. You saw that with Ellie. But I was wrong in everything else I said. I was frustrated, and out of patience, and I took it out on you. I'm sorry.

Dawn remained unresponsive. Ryder lowered her head, feeling a bit frustrated again.

-It's ok.

Ryder lifted her head back up. Dawn was looking back to her.

-I don't agree with what you said. But I know you're worried. You apologized for being rude, so ok.

A huge wave of relief washed over Ryder for a moment. Then she smiled.

-You're always so hard to figure out. \- She commented, sitting beside Dawn again.

-Feeling's mutual. \- Answered Dawn, with the slightest bit of a mischievous smile on her face.

-And, look, for what it's worth it, if you ever do want to patrol with the other girls, I'll get it arranged in no time, ok? I won't force you to it, I promise. But I really do think it would be a nice experience for you.

Dawn looked at her, seemingly pondering the situation while Ryder worried if she had pushed too much again, but ultimately Dawn nodded with her head. The exact meaning of that nod was lost to Ryder, but things seemed alright, at least.

The rest of the night was far more enjoyable.

\--------------------------------------------------

- _The inner barrier will deactivate shortly. Please make sure the streets are clear of monsters, and take care on your way home._

-Oh, man, I'm bushed. \- Said Ryder, stretching. - Still, feeling much better these days.

-Injury healed well?

-Oh, definitely. My shoulder's feeling a lot better. Still gets a bit sore if I overdo it, but I should be clear to go back into real action on my own soon enough. Not that I mind your company. \- She said, shooting a smile at Dawn. - If anything, I appreciate the help these last few nights.

A very tiny smile drew itself on Dawn's lips, to Ryder's satisfaction.

-Anyway, I'm gonna drop some stuff at HQ and head to Mama's, you wanna come? Some of the girls are meeting there to commemorate the new place. \- Invited Ryder.

-No, I'm good. Thanks. I want to get home soon. Feeling tired.

-Well, suit yourself. See you tomorrow?

Dawn nodded affirmatively, then went her way, gliding above the buildings. Ryder dropped down to street level and headed to Team Courier HQ.

 _I should look into giving some of the girls the keys to this place_ , she thought. _Cyrus and I have one each, but it'd be useful to have someone else who could open the place up if needed._

She entered HQ, deciding not to turn the lights on. She was used to the dark anyway, and would only be there for a few minutes. Still, she stopped to take in the atmosphere of the place. Team Courier HQ. Still felt a bit surreal for her. She had done it. Finally built something that could help others, that could stay after she aged out. Leaving current issues aside for a moment, she could really feel proud of this. Of what she and others had achieved.

She couldn't help but smile.

Ryder hiked up the stairs to the balcony, heading towards the table, to drop her satchel bag. It was nice, having a place like this to just leave her patrol stuff, but at the same time she felt a bit nostalgic for the old days. Spending four years coming home every night with all her equipment, she'd built that into her routine. It felt...

Then there was a noise. For a moment, Ryder couldn't tell where it was coming from... then she heard the door to the HQ open.

Immediately, despite being in the dark, Ryder ducked for cover under the table. It having a solid base was a godsend at this moment, even though it also stopped Ryder from seeing what was going on.

Steps. Someone was in the HQ, on the lower floor.

Or maybe more than one person? It was hard to tell.

Who could this even be? Not thieves, there wasn't anything worth stealing there. And thieves wouldn't be out this soon after the Barrier went down.

For a brief second, Ryder considered transforming. The lights were off, she could easily take whoever this was.

_ No. Too risky. The transformation would give me away, and then they could turn the lights on with me midway through a portal, who knows what would happen then. Or how many there are. _

The person stopped for a second. They seemed to be considering something. Then they resumed walking, going now underneath the balcony, around the lockers.

Did they not know Ryder was here? Or did they just not know where she was?

Carefully, slowly, Ryder edged around the side of the table, trying to go near the railing to get a look down towards the lockers, to see the trespasser. Stupid starry hair, it was probably making her more visible in the dark.

BAM

The sound startled Ryder. The person had struck something, probably one of the lockers. What was happening down...

Suddenly, steps on the stairs. One of them was coming up. Ryder hurried back behind the table, barely catching a glimpse of a hand on the rail, gloved in... white, maybe? She couldn't see it properly.

As she hid, the trespasser arrived on the top floor. A rattling noise indicated they tried opening Cyrus' door, before Ryder started hearing steps coming closer to her. For a moment, Ryder thought she heard steps on the lower floor too.

They were coming closer. They were going to find her. Had she left her bag on the desk? Did they know?

The steps drew closer.

She had to transform. She would have to fight them.

Closer.

How many were there? Could she take all of them?

Closer. Almost on her.

...but then the trespasser stopped.

Ryder held her breath, for what seemed to be an eternity before the invader turned the corner of the table.

But they didn't. Instead, they moved away and started heading down the stairs, leaving the headquarters entirely.

After the door closed, Ryder remained rooted in place for a good five minutes still, waiting to see if they would come back. When it became clear they weren't, she got up and ran out, only stopping to lock the door, heading towards Mama's while looking over her shoulder the whole time.

What had that been about? Who was that? Was that someone looking for her? Or did they want something in the base? How did they even know they could come in? Had they been watching the place to see when she would appear? Then why would they go inside with her there? _What was happening?_

Ryder arrived at Mama's completely out of breath. This time of the night, the place was full of tired Magical Girls, but it was hard to miss Team Courier in there: the girls had pulled two tables together, and sat in a large group: Ellie, Chris, Maddie, Phoebe and Melissa were there, with an open spot by Phoebe's side. Doing her best to control her nerves, Ryder directed herself to the free seat.

-Hey girls. You all had a good night? \- She asked. Various answers could be heard, but the overall tone seemed positive. - Didn't expect you, Melissa, its good to see you out and about some more. Where are the other girls?

-Sandra wanted to go home to help Katia study for some thing tomorrow. Tamara is Tamara. \- Started Ellie.

-Jasmine got a bit hurt tonight, nothing serious but she wanted to go home to rest. \- Continued Maddie.

-And Helen has her sword training tomorrow morning, so she couldn't. \- Finished Phoebe.

-What about Dawn? \- Asked Melissa.

-She said she wasn't feeling much like it. I figured I'd give her some time, still.

-Fair, fair. \- Said Maddie, solemnly drinking from her cup with a very bendy straw. The girls all continued what they were talking about before from there, while Ryder, who had already locked eye contact with Ellie, mouthed to her:

- _Tomorrow. Headquarters after school._

She took one look around to make sure none of the girls had noticed her.

- _Tell. No one._


	12. Event Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Ryder gossip about the team. A newcomer regrets having taken this job. Katia sees the obvious. New information turns the entire case upside-down.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

The classes that day passed by in a flash, as neither Ellie nor Ryder, each for her own reasons, completely failed to focus on anything besides what would come at the end of the day.

To Ellie, the looming presence of the attempt of Ryder's life could no longer just be overlooked. Something, _something_ about this whole deal was terribly wrong, and she couldn't tell what. There was a lie being told, by someone inside the team, a facade being played that Ellie couldn't see through, despite having gathered as much knowledge as she could from the others. She lacked something, some information that would make sense out of all of this. And though she had some ideas as to what she didn't know yet, Ellie couldn't yet shake the feeling something was missing amidst what she learned.

Worse still, that feeling also extended to how she saw her friends. Ellie couldn't help but spend the day in quiet thought, watching her friends as if any of them could, at any point, reveal a dagger and attack. Somebody amidst the team, at least one of the girls she'd known over the last couple of days, had to have taken part in Ryder's attack. And yet they all went on with their days, cracking the same smiles, having the same normal talks. As if nothing had happened. All this, despite knowing both what they had done, and, at this point, quite likely knowing Ellie was also looking for them.

And then there was Dawn. The girl had appeared during lunchtime to warn everyone that Ryder had given them the night off, ordering everyone to stay at home and relax as a reward for a long week. Rather sure that this didn't apply to her, Ellie instead couldn't help but have her thoughts turn to how Dawn, of all people, had been dragged into this situation, despite being the least deserving person in it. And unlike Ryder or the culprit, she wasn't even aware of it. She was unaware of how close yet another friend of hers had come to death, of how she was still under threat.

Or at least Ellie thought so, at any rate.

On Ryder's side, however, nothing but the events of the last night weighed on her mind. She had spent every second of her ride home, as well as the entire schoolday, looking over her shoulder. Even after deciding to call of the night for the team, she still couldn't help second-guessing her choice. She needed to call the team off tonight, give Ellie and herself time to reconvene, but on the other hand, wouldn't this just signal to the culprit that she was planning something? But then again...

-Ryder?

The voice startled her so badly she slammed her locker door shut, catching the entire hallway by surprise. Slowly, she turned around, apologizing quietly, only to find the one who called her was, of all people, Bud.

-You ok over there?

At this point, it was hard to even feel any animosity against Bud. That whole thing felt so small now.

-Yeah, just a bit stressed out. \- Answered Ryder in a half-truth. - Been a difficult couple of days.

-I hear you have a new base for your team.

-I'm not surprised you heard. We got a place for ourselves, yeah. Found a manager who helped us out. Make things easier for us going forward, you know?

-Good for you. \- The younger girl answered. She seemed honest. - Anyway, you asked me for some information, so I poked around. Turns out someone saw a girl with a spotlight after all.

This took Ryder by surprise. With everything that had been happening, Ryder had completely forgotten she asked Bud to look into that for her.

-Oh, uh, thanks. She say where that was?

-Yeah, some really large building on Ever-

-Everstone Park. \- Ryder cut her off. Of course. It had to be there, didn't it?

-Well... yeah. You knew that already? \- Bud asked.

-What? No, no, sorry. Lucky guess. \- Ryder lied. - Still, uh, thanks. Not every day I get to use your network to my advantage.

-Don't count yourself out just yet. I'll charge you for that one.

-Yeah, yeah. Take it out on whoever your source inside my team is. And do it fast, before I find out who that is.

Ryder traded a few more barbs with Bud before both went their way, but at this point she was no longer really paying attention.

Everstone Park. A large building.

Ryder was going to punch somebody's head in by the time this was over.

\--------------------------------------------------

Ellie found herself standing in front of Team Courier HQ, way earlier than the usual time, as per Ryder's request, clutching her notebook on her hands. Since last night, she had had plenty of time to think and consider the information she got, and ultimately... still hadn't come as close as she would have liked. Oh, she had suspects, yes, but no real, concrete evidence of any kind. Still, she had enough to present a few theories to Ryder, and still planned to acquire one more bit of knowledge before that.

With a bit of hesitation, Ellie knocked on the door. Not a full minute later, it opened, just a small amount through which she saw Ryder's eyes. After checking to make sure it was Ellie, she ushered the younger girl in, immediately closing and locking the door behind them.

-Hi \- Said Ellie, a bit taken aback. - You seem... angrier than I expected.

-Sorry. I got here a few minutes ago, and... well, I couldn't tell you yesterday, but someone got in here last night, before I went to Mama Maho's to find you all.

-That's... wait, you were _here_ when that happened? Were they looking for you? How did you...

-Doesn't matter. Uh, sorry. Doesn't matter right now. They didn't find me, and I got away, and I didn't really take the time to look around after, so I didn't see... well, I didn't see what else they did here.

-What do you mean?

Instead of telling her, Ryder walked to the lockers, leading Ellie into the two rows. There, she saw what Ryder meant. A spray can lay on the ground, forgotten, having apparently been thrown against one of the lockers after being used to spray a large message across a row of them.

EVERSTONE PARK, IN THE BLUE BUILDING

More than anything, the shock of that being there was what took Ellie. Someone hadn't just invaded the HQ, they had left a message. They were calling out to Ryder.

The girl herself stood beside Ellie, her arms crossed, an expression of anger so clear on her face that she could burn the paint from the lockers with her gaze alone.

-They're, uh... they're taunting you.

-They're inviting me. \- Stated Ryder. - Our plan worked on some level. They know you were looking. And they're making that very clear. They're calling me to the same building Celina died in. No better way to call my attention than that.

Ellie took a moment to think about that, then continued.

-It's probably a trap.

-Yep. \- Answered Ryder. - And I'm going for it.

-You're what? Ryder, no! If they want you there...

-There's more to it. I got another bit of information. One they \- she gestured towards the paint as if it was sentient - couldn't control. Whoever's doing this, they're doing it out of that very building. One of the spotlights that was used against me was taken there after the trap. That's where their base is.

-And so you want to walk right into their base?

-Where else? We don't really have much more to go on, and I'm not gonna sit around and wait for them. This person has already taken way too much of my time and patience.

-Ryder, I don't know. It doesn't seem like a good idea to walk right into one of their traps. The last one almost killed you!

-Well, this time I _know_ I'm walking into one. I can prepare better. Especially \- She sat down on one of the benches, facing Ellie. - if you tell me who I'm expecting to find.

-Right. \- Ellie took a seat on a bench opposite to her. - Before we do that, though. I've talked to everyone as well as I could this last week, but... I want to clear something with you first. I want to know what happened on the night Celina died, from your point of view. Your side of the situation.

Ryder looked surprised for a moment, then changed her posture, hunching over.

-Ok... ok, yeah, fair enough. This is probably an important thing. \- She said, looking at the message on the lockers. - Alright. So, the night Celina died, I was patrolling on my own. As usual. I remember seeing a flare coming from the direction of Everstone Park, but I was way too far away and I knew some of the girls were around that area, so I took the time to finish a delivery. In the middle of doing that, one of the girls from Team Rescue, Logan's team, found me and told me something had happened. I wasn't sure what she was talking about then, but it seemed urgent, so I went with her.

Ryder adjusted herself in her seat, clearly uncomfortable.

-Looking back, I kind of wish I had hurried a bit more. I thought one of the girls had gotten hurt, or maybe had failed to save a civilian or something. That someone from another team had to come find me should really have clued me in on this. Anyway, by the time I got there, everything had already taken place twice over. Dawn and Celina had gone into the building, everyone had been evacuated, and even more time had passed. Phoebe and Helen were in a nearby area, so they got to the building first and found Dawn outside, in shock.

_Wait, what?_ Ellie's eyes turned the size of dinnerplates when she heard that, quickly lifting her head from her notes. Ryder, who was lost in her memories, didn't seem to notice.

-Anyway, by the time I got there Team Rescue had found and called in other members as well, so half our team was there. Nobody could really tell me what had happened for certain, and Dawn was completely unresponsive. In the end, I dismissed everyone for the night, and went with Dawn to the hospital. Took most of the night to get her in any state to talk, and...

Ryder sighed. Clearly this part was not something she wanted to remember.

-I was there with Dawn when she finally told us what happened. Said that she and Celina started clearing the building, that she went in alone and got ambushed, and... \- Ryder took a second to gather strength - she told us how Celina died. That the creature ambushed her before she could use her powers, that it was basically over in one hit, and it, uh... ate her, essentially. I'd rather not get into the details a second time.

Ellie nodded in understanding. Ryder still took a few minutes before continuing.

-Not a lot to be said after that. I told the rest of the team the next day. There was a sort of funeral a few days later. They burned her hair, sort of like a symbolic thing in lack of an actual... anyway, that's what happened.

A long, solemn silence stayed in the air as Ryder and Ellie processed that. After a while, Ellie broke it, with one last question.

-What about before that? How... look, don't get me the wrong way, but... how did you and Celina get along?

-What? I... weird question, but... ok. Celina and I got along, mostly. We weren't huge friends or anything, but I owed her a lot, and she was alright. A bit possessive over Dawn, but then Dawn always idolized her back too. Their whole friendship was like that, really, so Celina could be a bit thorny when she thought someone was trying to muscle in on her friend. Argued with me about it once, too, but I explained I wasn't doing that and we made up. Why the question, though?

-Well... there was talk of you and Celina not being too friendly with each other, and... someone floated the idea you might have assigned a bad route for her and Dawn on the night she died.

Ryder scowled.

-I'm gonna have to have a word with Tamara when this is all over. \- She crossed her arms again. - For what it's worth, I didn't do that. Not intentionally, at least. They were just next on rotation that night. You don't believe her, do you?

-No! No, of course not, it's just... I don't have to be the one who believed her.

-Ah. You think someone else might have?

-Well, it's the closest thing I have to a motive anyone might have had to attack you. Other than that, it's all some loose suspicious stuff some people did or won't talk about.

-Hm. \- Ryder uncrossed her arms and hunched forward again. She was very fidgety today. - Okay, who do we have?

-Well, to start with, both Melissa and Sandra told me different versions of the night Celina died. They both said their pairing was the one to find Dawn, and gave different statements on whether there was a body as well.

-...what? Why? That's... why would they do that? You could clear that one up with me so easily! You just did!

-I'm just reporting. So that puts... Sandra, Tamara, Chris and Melissa on the list of potential suspects. And... I'm a bit curious about Maddie as well. Not for anything she did the night you were attacked, but she's apparently been hiding something from the others about why she hasn't been at Dawn's to help her out like they have.

-Ah, right, that. Jasmine talked to me about it and I was meaning to see to it before this all happened. That's weird, yeah. Only you and I haven't been there yet.

-You haven't?

-Team business has been holding me up for a while now. Dealing with a death, getting Cyrus to manage us, putting together some marketing ideas, getting you into the team, and then the attack... the whole reason I sent the rest of the team to do it was because I couldn't find the time. Still, I don't think Maddie's all that suspicious for not going.

-Me neither, but I thought it was better to cover everything I could. Especially since I don't really have any strong reasons to be suspicious of anyone just yet. There's no reason Sandra or Tamara would do this, and while Melissa and Chris might not have liked Celina, I can't see how that would figure into attacking you. And I have nothing for Maddie either.

-I don't think I've ever even so much as had a serious disagreement with any of them. Or anyone in the team, really. The other girls were all clear?

-Phoebe and Helen gave me nothing, other than telling me about Maddie. And Jasmine seemed... _weirdly_ into finding out why you keep your power a secret, but she seems harmless.

Ryder seemed almost relieved to learn Phoebe might be innocent. Ellie thought of commenting on it, but decided to leave that for another time.

-Oh, also. \- Ryder picked herself back up. - What about last night at the diner? Did any of the girls leave for a few minutes?

-Yeah, about that... I don't actually know. We were the last ones to arrive and I went to the bathroom right after, and you got there as soon as I was back. So if anybody left the table I wouldn't be able to tell.

Ryder fell quiet, pondering over everything Ellie had told her. For her part, Ellie couldn't help but feel guilty, as she had actually been a bit dishonest there: she had one other suspect.

Ellie had tried to work that one out, she did. She couldn't bear to think of her like that. But no matter how she put it, Dawn kept popping back into her mind as a suspect. Not for anything she might have done, but simply because, in many ways, she fit. The possibility of Ryder causing Celina's death, however far-fetched, could work as a motive, and Dawn was certainly in an unstable enough mood to have taken it seriously. But, regardless, Ellie refused to entertain the notion seriously. Dawn couldn't have tried to do that. She simply couldn't.

-Anyway. \- Said Ryder, emerging from within her own thoughts. - I should head to...

A knock came from the door. Both girls immediately stood up, neither expecting anyone to be at the HQ at this time. Slowly, carefully, Ryder walked up to the door and opened it very slightly... then sighed, opening it fully to let Cyrus in.

-Finally! I was wondering if you were in. Lost my key somehow. Ellen. \- He acknoledged her with a small nod. - Here, this letter for you arrived at my house yesterday. So, why are both of you...

Immediately upon seeing the message on the lockers, Cyrus came to a halt, almost dropping the cup of coffee he had in his free hand. He stood there for a solid few seconds, processing the situation, before responding:

-WHAT THE...

-Let's, uh, let's head up, shall we? \- Said Ryder, pulling him by the arm away from the message while Ellie sat down to read her letter. Once on top of the balcony, Cyrus took no time to rest.

-What is that about? Somebody broke in here? That's not Magdalena, is it? It's not her style of prank, I...

-Cyrus! Calm down. It's... \- Ryder took a second to decide what to say. - It's no big deal. Some girl is messing with us, but we're going to take care of it.

-Ryder, they broke in here! You could all be in danger...

-We're not. \- She lied. - We... we'll be ok. It's just a spat. I didn't want to get you involved before because I don't want the MGSI knowing, and...

-Oh, no, telling them would be a terrible idea. They probably wouldn't do anything.

-I... exactly.\- Ryder said, surprised he had agreed. - Me and Ellie have been on top of this, and...

-So it's been going a while?

Ryder was caught off-guard. For a few seconds, she struggled with the question, but Cyrus himself continued.

-Look, I don't know what this is, but... sigh. You'd rather keep it close to the chest, wouldn't you?

Ryder nodded.

-Right. Amazing. \- He snarked, reaching for something in his coat and remembering it wasn't there. - So... can I trust you're going to have this solved soon?

-Yeah. Tonight, if everything goes well.

-Right. Well, you should probably go, then. I was just going to drop some things here, so I'll leave and head home for the night. Although... I should probably clean that from the lockers so the others won't see it.

-I... thank you, Cyrus.

Cyrus grumbled a bit, seemingly not too keen on being thanked.

-Just get this solved soon, yeah? Easier to manage teams without drama. \- He deflected, going into his office. Ryder, touched by his unexpected help, went back down, and found Ellie still standing on the side, holding her letter.

-You ok there?

-It's a letter from that girl I saved.

_Oh_ , thought Ryder.

-She's thanking me for it. Her parents are too. They asked if there are any plushies of Team Courier. Said it might help their daughter sleep better at night if she has one of... well, of me. And they're thanking all of us for helping keep people safe.

Ellie carefully closed the letter and put it in her bag, taking care to make sure it wasn't creased. Then she turned to Ryder, filled with resolve.

-I'm going to that building with you.

\--------------------------------------------------

Ellie stood on the emergency escape outside a second-floor window. Katia's second floor window. She and Ryder had agreed to go prepare for the trap and meet in front of the building later in the evening, and so Ellie decided to stop at Katia's on her way home. She wasn't entirely sure why she did that, especially since she wasn't supposed to let the rest of the team know she was hanging around, but she did it anyway.

After waiting for a bit, her patience was rewarded as Katia arrived into her room and saw Ellie's silver head on her window, and headed there to open it.

-Ellie? What are you doing here?

-Shhhh! Don't talk too loudly. I don't want Sandra to know I'm here. \- Said Ellie, confusing Katia even more. - Look, it's just... I dunno, I wanted to see you. I'm going to go for a Team Courier thing with Ryder, and I was around, so I thought I'd say hello, you know? Do a whole "by your window" thing.

That bit of silliness didn't do much to change Katia's mood. She still seemed concerned.

-Sandra told me you guys were all taking the night off to rest.

-Hey, come on, don't worry. It's just a team thing, and I'll be with Ryder so it'll be fine.

Thing is, Ellie was a terrible liar, and both of them knew. Every word she said only made Katia more worried. This had been a terrible idea.

-Look, Kate, I...

-You can't tell me about it?

Ellie sheepishly nodded. Katia took a moment to think about that.

-Are you _sure_ you'll be ok?

It was Ellie's turn to take a moment to think. 

-Yes.

A lot of things were left unsaid for a few moments.

-Is... is there no way I can help? \- Katia said, quietly, with the slightest bit of hope. They both knew she couldn't, but Ellie still felt bad saying it. Still, maybe...

-Keep an eye on Sandra. I don't think anything bad's gonna happen, \- she added, trying to dispel Katia's worries. - it's just... you know, make sure she's resting and taking care, yeah? And don't tell her about this. Please.

Katia seemed almost relieved to be able to help. Ellie thought of adding something else, but instead was surprised by Katia hugging her.

-You... you be safe, ok?

Ellie hugged her back, and they stayed like that for a little while. It occurred to Ellie that she knew exactly why she decided to visit Katia now.

\--------------------------------------------------

In the end, it wasn't hard for Ellie to find the building. She was vaguely aware of how to get to Everstone Park, and from there one could only miss the blue building if they set out to try. Walking under it's shadow, she couldn't help but think back to how much had already happened inside that building that was related to Team Courier. A lot of her friends' lives were connected to it, and now hers would apparently be as well.

Maybe they ought to make that their base, she joked to herself.

Across the street, Ellie could see Ryder standing in an alley, motioning for her to come closer, which she did.

-Hey. Thought I'd find you in front of the building?

-I don't wanna go in yet. Whatever's gonna happen in there might turn into a fight, and I don't want to have a bunch of regular people caught in the audience. Rather deal with this ourselves.

Ellie took another glance at the street. It was indeed a bit crowded, people of all sorts and sizes going about their days. She could even spot the occasional person going into the blue building, although they were too far away to really tell who those might be. It being an apartment building, it probably wouldn't have helped either way.

-Lots of people walking about. \- Said Ellie.

-There's a nightclub nearby. \- explained Ryder. - And some big-name hospital as well. Lotta workers from both places, and probably some visitors hanging around as well. Should start clearing out soon enough.

Ryder looked at her wriswatch. From her position, Ellie could tell it was sometime around 6:30pm.

-So, what's the plan?

-Nothing much. We go in, see what's going on. \- Ryder said. - And if we take too long to come out, I have Logan and one of her girls from Team Rescue waiting on a nearby roof and they'll come in to help us out with... whatever's in there.

Ryder seemed tense just at the mention of this. Which made sense, Ellie thought. This whole situation was especially hard on her, and not just because her life was being targeted. If this was what they thought, they were a few minutes away from finding out which of their friends was trying to kill her. There was no positive end to that discovery, no matter what the truth was.

The crowd started thinning out at about seven pm, and ten minutes later started becoming truly deserted, save the occasional person. Ellie couldn't help but notice that, unlike the buildings around it, the blue one didn't turn it's lights on, it's entrance and outside remaining completely dark. When she pointed this out to Ryder, the older girl transformed, looking up at the roof as if to confirm something (probably to Logan; that would explain why Ellie felt as if they were being watched) before beckoning Ellie to transform as well. The two of them ready, they quickly crossed the street, crossing the unlocked door to the blue building to face whatever lay in wait for them.

The entrance hall was completely in the dark, which was a bit of a problem for Ellie, but less so much for Ryder, especially as she had been there before. She could sense through the shadows that it remained mostly the same: a rather spacious entrance hall, with a sofa on the side surrounded by two columns, a waiting desk with nobody behind it, stairs leading up as well as an elevator, and a small door that led to the basement. Really, the only differences, so she thought, was a new carpet on the floor, and the absence of two holes on the walls.

...wait, no. There was something else. Someone else?

...many someones.

-Hold up, I'll find the light. \- Said Ellie. Ryder tried, in vain, to stop her, but the girl found the light all to quickly, and soon the hall was flooded with light, revealing the figures around them.

Team Courier stood on both sides of the entrance hall.

Rather, not all of Team Courier: five of them. Helen, Sandra and Jasmine stood to the left, closer to Ryder, while Melissa and Tamara stood to the right, closer to Ellie. All five of them were transformed already, and Helen had her sword in hand.

-Girls? \- Said Ryder, confusion and anger in her voice. - What's going on here?

They didn't answer. Ellie froze in place, while Ryder took a few steps to stand in front of her.

-Look, whatever the deal is here, I'm sure we can talk it out. You're all here for some reason, right?

Still no answer. Barely a reaction, really.

-Come on, if nothing else, I deserve...

-Ryder. \- Called Ellie. - I don't think they can hear you.

-What?

-In fact... \- Taking a risk, Ellie stepped up to Melissa, who was closest to her. Still no reaction. - I don't think they even know we're here.

Looking carefully, she could see that Melissa was conscious and awake. She breathed, which was a good start, and was definitely moving, she just... wasn't doing anything. Stranger yet, however, were her eyes: they looked glassy, glazed over in a cold, dead stare. On her side, Ryder noticed much the same. Sandra and Jasmine both looked off, staring ahead of them with those cold, dead eyes.

-Ryder, I think... \- Said Ellie, taking a step back. - I think they're being con...

And then Ryder arrived at Helen, who, with those same eyes, locked them onto Ryder.

And all five girls attacked.


	13. Vs Team Courier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boss music ensues.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

-Dad, dad, look! There's two Magical Girls on the street!

-What? Dont be silly, dear, it's way too soon for that.

-But they're there, dad, I can see them!

-Listen to you dad, son. \- Said his other father. - Why would there be any Magical Girls out on the street right now anyway?

-Maybe they're going to fight to see who's stronger!

-That's silly, dear. They're our protectors, they don't need to fight each other. Come here, let's see what's on tv.

-Magical Girls fighting each other. \- His other father chuckled. - What an idea...

Ellie was the luckier one. The instant the other Couriers moved, she made the floor around her liquid. Melissa had the good sense of stopping, but Tamara didn't. She charged in, got her foot stuck, and fell face-first onto the floor, immediately knocking herself out. Any amusement Ellie might have drawn from that was quickly pushed aside as Melissa stepped over Tamara to strike at Ellie, who reeled back and stopped using her power.

Ryder, meanwhile, wasn't having any good luck. Of the Couriers in the building, Helen was by far the most dangerous one. Ryder had only barely managed to avoid the first swing of her sword, and while this put her at a good distance, it also meant she couldn't get close. Even if Ryder was willing to beat up her friend, which she honestly wasn't, getting close enough to Helen was not going to be an easy matter. And then there were the other two. Ryder didn't even know where to start on stopping the girls without harming them, or, far more likely, getting interrupted by the others. She couldn't even use her shadows as openly as usual. Those things could be deadly for the others if she made a mistake. 

Both Sandra and Jasmine stepped forward and threw blows at Ryder, missing her. Seeing the opening, Ryder jumped to Jasmine's side, grabbing her outstretched arm and pushing her aside, removing the better fighter of the two for now. On instinct, Ryder realized she had turned her back to the others, and went limp, throwing her whole body on the ground at the right time: Helen's sword did a wide slash where Ryder had just been.

This was followed by a bigger scare: Helen's sword, ending it's arc, came no more than a few hairs away from Sandra's neck. _They're not aware of each other. They're just attacking me blindly._ She had to separate them, and quickly.

Barely even hitting the ground, Ryder took impulse and put herself back on her feet, using her momentum to shoulder bash Helen, sending her back. This bought Ryder a few seconds, and thankfully Sandra had the poor judgment of trying to attack her again, thought not with her powers, for whatever reason. Ryder stopped her blow and sweeped one of her legs, forcing Sandra to kneel, which in turn allowed Ryder to simply pick the girl up by the stomach and throw her away, into the shadows behind the nearest column.

In those few seconds, Jasmine had caught up, and jumped at Ryder from behind, grabbing her to hold her arms. In response, Ryder let herself fall to her knees, using the taller girl's own momentum to flip and throw her to the ground. Seeing Helen come closer, Ryder rolled forward to put distance between them again, ignoring Jasmine completely and instead reaching for the column's shadow just as Sandra stood up, transporting her from the ground to the ceiling a few meters away and causing her to fall through the reception table. _Sorry_ , Ryder thought.

In that small amount of time, Jasmin had already gotten back up, and Helen was also coming closer. This was going to be a long night. 

On the other side of the room, Ellie and Melissa were having their showdown. Ellie herself, who had only recently learned how to throw a punch (After and during which Old Lady spent half an hour complaining that no Magical Girl should go out without knowing how to do that), wasn't entirely willing to punch her friend, a courtesy that Melissa didn't seem to extend to her. Thankfully, Melissa also didn't seem very skilled at that, and so Ellie could dodge most of her blows.

That said, she was quickly running out of breath, while Melissa didn't seem all that bothered. The girl was deceptively athletic. In the hopes of buying herself a small break, Ellie put the column between the two of them. In hindsight, that had been a terrible choice, as now the two were instead dancing around the column, which only made the situation worse for Ellie. Eventually Melissa reached around, catching Ellie as she gasped for air, and the two tumbled onto the hall's couch. Ellie threw Melissa aside and tried standing up again, but the other girl had grabbed onto her, showing no intention of letting her go. Still, both of them we lying on the couch now...

In a moment of inspiration, Ellie liquefied the couch, making Melissa sink into it. In surprise, the older girl let Ellie go, and as she stood up the wood and cushions once more became solid, trapping Melissa on the couch. That was... a bit disappointing of a victory, but sure, why not. Ellie decided to go help Ryder.

And Ryder needed the help. Fighting Jasmine and Helen at the same time hadn't worked at all. The only thing she got out of that was a group of small cuts on her arms for defending Jasmine from Helen's sword, so instead of keeping them apart she had decided to stay between the two, alternating between blocking Helen's sword and stopping Jasmine. Surprisingly, it was working: Helen couldn't swing her sword properly with Ryder up-close, and Jasmine's punches were easy enough to divert. But now she couldn't attack at all, and as much as she didn't want to hurt her friends, Ryder had to break out of this somehow. What she would have liked to do was move the fight to the area behind the columns, where she could jump into shadows more easily, but that wasn't going to happen, least of all because Sandra seemed like she was about to get back up.

An idea came up to Ryder from that. Instead of blocking Jasmine's next punch, she instead took it, using the opportunity to grab the two girls and throw them at each other. They collided and staggered back, while Ryder took a step back, waiting to see who recovered first. That was Helen, who caught Ryder off-guard by throwing her sword, narrowly missing Ryder's head and taking her hood off.

Suddenly, Ellie came out of nowhere, jumping on Jasmine's back and grabbing her, causing a distraction. Helen, who had summoned her sword back, was still focused on Ryder, but with the fight turning 1-on-1, the advantage changed. Helen's slashes weren't her as good as they used to be; whatever was happening, it was stopping her from tapping into her real skills. She was still dangerous, but her moves were far simpler and more predictable, and now Ryder could use that. Carefully avoiding Helen's attacks, Ryder moved around her, positioning the swordswoman as she wanted, until Helen's sword hit a column, leaving a large opening that Ryder did not let pass. She made a big deal of throwing a punch, leading Helen to raise her free arm in defense, and then swept her legs, throwing her to the ground. The other part of the fight was going wrong, though, as Jasmine slammed her back, and Ellie, onto a column, forcing the younger girl to let her go. 

As Ellie recovered, she heard the sound of wood breaking. Sandra was getting Melissa out of the couch by destroying it. Ryder, meanwhile, managed to throw Jasmine, making her fall over and behind the reception counter. The big motion left her open, however, and she took a punch from Helen.

Off the corner of her eye, Ellie saw as Ryder fell to the ground, her back to the wall. Before she could even react properly, Helen raised her sword, ready to strike, and swung downwards. Without even thinking about it, Ellie stretched her arm out, placing her hand in the blade's path as Ryder raised her arms in a futile defense... only to get splashed as Helen's sword turned liquid. 

It took Ellie a full second of staring at her hand to internalize that she wasn't harmed, at which point she let out a nervous laughter. 

-It worked! \- She commemorated, happy that she had finally worked out the timing for her power, a commemoration that was cut short when Sandra punched her in the face.

Ryder, meanwhile, saw her chance and did not miss it, jumping on Helen and putting her on a sleeper hold. Ellie, meanwhile, was grabbed by Sandra, who pulled on her and threw her towards Melissa, who was ready and waiting to combo her with a punch. 

No more than a few seconds later, Ryder let the unconscious Helen go, verifying that she was still ok. Immediately, she turned to help Ellie, who was getting ganged up on by Melissa and Sandra, but was stopped by Jasmine, who caught her arm. Ryder used her strength to pull her in and shoulder bash her, but this time Jasmine defended herself. 

_They seem... smarter_ , thought Ryder, noting also the combo between Sandra and Melissa. taking down Helen had made the others more capable, it seemed. Regardless, the most dangerous person in the room was out, and Ryder was still the better fighter. And, more importantly right now, the stronger between herself and Jasmine. She kicked the side of Jasmine's legs, sweeping her off of them and pushing her away, then dashing to the other girls, pulling one of them back and throwing her her on Jasmine. _Better I face two of them instead of Ellie_. 

Almost immediately, however, Ryder regretted her decision. Jasmine began lightly glowing. Melissa was using her powers now, and that was a problem. Ryder raised her arms to guard, and just in time: Jasmine threw a punch, and this one hit much harder and faster than her usual ones. So Melissa was raising Jasmine's strength, but not her durability. 

_Great. Just great._ So now Ryder had to be even more careful, and still couldn't fight back well. Jasmine fired another punch, and Ryder's arms started aching. This wasn't good. 

Taking away Melissa, sadly, didn't help Ellie much, as Sandra was the better fighter of the two, and by far the one Ellie wanted to fight the least. Despite their animosity, Sandra and Ellie had been friends since were both children, and she was certain neither of them would willingly attack the other. Sadly, whatever their relationship was, the fact was that Sandra was, indeed, attacking her at this moment, and Ellie was having little luck defending herself.

For such a tiny person, Sandra hit really hard. Ellie tried creating distance by making the ground between them liquid, but this backfired: Sandra jumped over it, tackling Ellie to the ground and trying to pin her to the ground. Thankfully, her size didn't help there, and Ellie shook her off easily. Once more, she tried making the ground liquid, this time to slow Sandra down, but missed her timing, and took a backhand to the face.

This was not good. Ellie stumbled backward, remaining on her feet, but now Sandra was picking up one of the destroyed table's legs. Ellie took a few steps back as Sandra advanced, swinging the the wooden weapon at her. Ellie dodged the first few swings, but at the third one her foot passed over a remnant of the couch Melissa had been stuck on, leading Ellie to lose her footing. Sandra capitalized on that and swung the piece of wood down at her head. Ellie tried her trick again, but fear and confusion got in her way and she ended up blocking it with her hands, hurting both of them and leaving herself open to a kick from Sandra.

Ellie fell backwards, crashing onto the remains of the sofa. Before she could collect herself enough to stand up, Sandra stood on top of her, hand headed towards her neck...

-Hey, sis!

The voice came from behind Sandra, who immediately turned around to find Katia swinging a broken table leg.

THWACK

Sandra was sent spinning towards the wall, colliding against it and barely being able to keep her footing. For a brief second, propped up against the wall, Sandra's eyes almost seemed to go back to normal, showing shock and confusion before she completely lost consciousness.

Ellie barely registered that. She had a bigger concern.

-Katia? \- She said, getting up on her feet. - What are you doing here?

-I don't know! I don't even know where here is, Sandra just walked out of the house and I followed her and-

-Girls! \- Shouted Ryder from behind Jasmine and Melissa. - I could use a hand!

-Right! \- Acknowledged Ellie. - Kate, you-

-Don't you _dare_ tell me to leave after that!

-I... fine. Stay here for a second. I have a plan.

Ellie ran towards Melissa, grabbing her by the shoulders. Stomping the floor in order to make ir liquid, Ellie pushed Melissa down, sinking her up to her knees. The distraction caused Melissa to stop using her powers, letting Ryder push back against Jasmine. Melissa tried reaching behind herself to hit Ellie, who managed to catch her arm, and, lifting her foot to make the ground solid and trap Melissa there, she pulled the girl back. Melissa was thrown off-balance and offered little resistance, having her arm sunk into the ground as well, becoming permanently trapped. 

Immediately upon noticing she couldn't move anymore, Melissa fell unconscious, much to Ellie's surprise. To Ryder, however, this made things more annoying, as Jasmine suddenly zoomed from one side of the room to the other. _Good. She's the last one_ , thought Ryder. Jasmine zoomed past her again, once more missing. The girl wasn't a bad fighter, but her biggest asset was her speed, and the invulnerability it gave her. But she was only invulnerable, not unstoppable. And that gave Ryder the upper hand. Now she could fight properly without fear of hurting Jasmine.

It would take a single move. 

Jasmine's body language tipped her off. She was going to use her power again. Ryder had to act first. As Jasmine went into her stance, Ryder prepared herself again, ready to step to the side, in a moment. And the second before Jasmine moved... Ryder didn't. 

Jasmine dashed into where she expected Ryder to be instead simply finding that Ryder had raised an arm in her way, letting Jasmine clothesline herself. And so as she fell to the ground, Ryder simply locked an arm around her neck, and a few seconds later Jasmine was unconscious. 

The fight was over. 

-Ellie... \- Ryder said while catching her breath, laying on her back on the ground - thanks for the save... but please... _please_... don't ever put your hand in front of a sword like that again!

Ellie chuckled in a mix of relief and nervousness. 

-Nearly gave me a heart attack...

-So why do you know how to do a sleeper hold anyway?

-Eh. \- Ryder dismissed the question with a gesture. - Long story. Other time.

Suddenly, the door to the building opened, startling everybody present as Logan burst into the room. She looked around, absorbing the scene in front of her, before simply responding: 

-Oh.


	14. Whodunnit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Courier is in crisis. Questions and answers abound. Awkwardness also does.
> 
> Thank you to SorceressEpele, tgva8889 and morpheoMancer for their contributions to this chapter!
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

-The time is now 10:00p.m. All citizens should be indoors, and all Magical Girls transformed.

Ellie watched from inside the hospital as the Barrier covered the building. She couldn't see it's color properly from where she was, but it seemed to be a very dark green. Regardless, that wasn't important right now. She opened the door into the room where the members of Team Courier were.

A long room opened itself before her, illuminated only by the light of the Barrier outside. Five beds were inside it, each housing one of the now unconscious Team Courier members who had attacked Ellie and Ryder inside that building. The reason as to why they were unconscious was entirely unknown. For the last few hours after Logan and Team Rescue had helped bring all of them to the nearby hospital, the doctors ran a series of tests, and came to the conclusion that while all five of them were completely fine physically and mentally aside from a few scratches from the fight, they were, all of them, simply not waking up.

They were, technically speaking, awake, at least according to one doctor. They didn't seem to be dreaming, or even particularly asleep, but all five of them were entirely unresponsive. And if the doctors had no idea what was happening, Ellie had even less of one. She was here for a different reason.

Katia sat by one of the beds, holding Sandra's hand.

Ellie hesitated in making her presence known. She hadn't noticed it at first when the fight ended, but Katia had not taken that whole situation well at all. She had to be helped out of the scene by both Ryder and Logan, and even then refused to talk to anyone until it became clear her sister was fine. Now, she had spent the last hour sitting inside this room by herself, which left Ellie unsure of how to proceed.

Still, she had to. Ellen cleared her throat, which brought Katia's attention and made her shoot up from her chair.

-Ellie! Are you ok? You look terrible!

She wasn't kidding. Although Ellie probably looked worse than she felt, she had still taken something of a beating in that fight, and had the bruises to prove it.

-Honestly, I barely feel it. \- Said Ellie with a sheepish laugh. - Magical Girl healing factor is a big help, huh?

Katia wasn't amused. She turned to Sandra's bed.

-What was happening in that building?

-Uh... \- Ellie hesitated. She didn't know what she was allowed to tell. - Big fight. There was a, uh...

-You can't tell me.

Ellie didn't answer. She didn't need to.

-Why did Sandra attack you?

-Look, I... I know it's all a bit scary, but really, we're working on it! Don't worry about-

-Stop saying that!

The suddenness of the shout didn't scare Ellie so much as the fact that it happened. She had never heard Katia shout like that before.

-Stop telling me not to worry! Of course I'm worried! I can't do anything else! Things are bad enough out there with monsters and everything, and now every night I have to sit at home and wait while my sister and my best friend, the girl I like, go out to risk their lives and fight those monsters! And I can't do anything!

Katia had turned to Ellie now, tears streaming down her face, shouting out all of this as if she had held onto it for too long.

-Every time I try to help, you just tell me not to worry! That you have everything under control, that it's going to be fine! But you don't have to sit there! You don't have to wait, to go to bed scared of what might change while you're asleep!

Ellie found herself at a lack for words, but Katia gave her no opening anyway.

-You at least can do things, but then you and Sandra don't tell me anything! And I don't know what I can do! I can't help, I can't do anything for you, I can't... I can't...

Instinctively, Ellie hugged Katia. The two of them stayed like this for a while, with Ellie pondering what to do. She felt as if she should say something, but there was nothing she really could say. No action to take that would really help.

Well... there was one thing.

-I can tell you what's been happening, if you think it'll help. \- She said, caressing Katia's hair. - It's... still going to leave you worried, but if you think knowing will help you, then I can tell you. Just... I'm going to ask you to wait a little bit. Ryder just called me when I was coming here to check on you, and we're going to be talking about this, so I can tell you more if you just wait for me to talk to Ryder. Is that ok?

Katia sniffled, and nodded in agreement, without taking her head off of Ellie's shoulder.

-Can... can Ryder wait a little bit longer? \- She asked meekly. 

So the two stayed there, until Katia was feeling well enough.

\--------------------------------------------------

-I don't care that your reporter was already here when they arrived, you don't get to have an interview without going through me! \- Yelled Cyrus at the phone. The person on the other side tried answering, and was cut off. - Well next time, you can tell that reporter lady of yours exactly _where_ she can stick her exclusive!

Cyrus violently hanged the phone up and shouted at the heavens.

-Ghouls! All of them!

Cyrus dropped himself on the chair in exasperation. Over the course of the last hour, he had, through some manager-based magic, taken control of the hospital's chief of staff's office, and basically made it his, as he now sat behind the chief's desk, with his briefcase open and papers all over. Logan, sitting on the couch, watched all of this, while Ryder sat across the desk from Cyrus, on a chair that seemed built to be uncomfortable. Not that her current mental state was of any help.

-I'm sorry about that reporter, Ryder.

-She'll be sorry too next time. \- She answered, fiddling with her hair.

-Call me up first, we'll tag team her.

Ryder didn't answer.

-So. \- Cyrus said. Ryder knew this was coming. - Do I get to know what's going on now?

Ryder stood up from her chair and walked around, a thousand things running through her mind.

-Look, you made a mistake, that's alright. Everyone does. For what it's worth, I don't think you expected whatever this was when you told me you had a handle on the situation. But it's getting to a point where I need to know what I'm hiding from the news here.

Logan, from her corner, kept a careful eye on Ryder. The two occasionally exchanged glances as Ryder paced around the room, trying to get a handle on her own thoughts.

-To be honest, I don't think any of us have a good grasp on what's going on right now. \- She said, trying to buy her friend time to think.

-True. \- Cyrus agreed. - But the two of you at least had a place to start from. And don't even start on me, Logan, it's clear already that you knew what was going on. I mean, you arrived with them, for one.

Ryder moved to defend her friend, but the situation was saved by Ellie, who opened the door.

-Hey, I...

She could barely get a word in, however, before being interrupted, as Dawn, Maddie, Chris and Phoebe burst into the room, none of them looking too happy with the situation.

-Ryder! \- Started Maddie. - What's happening? Why's everyone hurt?

-I asked Wild Bear to help like you said. \- Interrupted Chris. - Team Bubble was around as well and volunteered to help, so they're out there delivering messages too.

-Are you girls ok? Did you get hurt? Ellie, you're-

Cyrus clapped loudly, making everyone look at him.

-Sorry. You were all getting a bit too loud. \- He said, not looking sorry at all. - So Chris, you found people to sub for Team Courier tonight?

-I asked her to. \- Said Ryder. - And I recruited Team Shock as well. Girls out there shouldn't have to go without help just because of this.

-Very noble. \- Cyrus said, with full honesty, before leaning forward on the desk. - And what _is_ this, exactly?

-Yeah! \- Maddie piled on. - What's going on right now? Weren't we supposed to be on break today? How did the whole team get hurt?

-Ryder, \- intervened Dawn. - What happened?

-I... \- Ryder looked at Logan, hoping for some help, but her friend had nothing. - Fine. Can't keep hiding this anyway.

She sighed. Most of the others took seats: Maddie sat down on a big chair on the other side of the room from the couch, where Phoebe sat down, and Chris propped herself against the door.

-That monster attack two weeks ago was an attempt on my life.

Everyone seemed shocked. Dawn shuddered, and decided to sit down. Maddie and Chris tried answering, but Ryder raised her hand to stop them, and continued.

-I gave it some thought, and... well, I came to the conclusion that someone in the team did this. So I had Ellie investigate for me. She talked to each of you girls and found some stuff out, and then last night someone broke into the HQ after patrol, probably as a response. They left a message calling me to... to the building Celina died. So we went there, thinking we were going to find the culprit, and...

Ryder took a long breath. Even she was still parsing what she was about to say.

-When Ellie and I went there, we found the other girls, all standing still. They were being... I don't know, controlled in some way, and they were made to attack us. So we fought them off. We did our best not to hurt them, but now they're not waking up, and... who knows anymore. \- Ryder finished, a bitter tone in her voice.

Cyrus changed positions in his chair, in a state of simultaneous shock and deep thought.

-We don't know who's doing this still. Ellie came up with some theories, but none of them really included the possibility of everyone being controlled, so who knows what's possible right now. I don't-

-Wait. \- Maddie spoke up. - So this entire time, for these last two weeks, you've been dealing with this, assuming we could be trying to get you. Am I right here?

-What? I mean, yeah, but...

Maddie stood up indignantly.

-And it never occurred to you to just _talk_ to us about it?

-Wha... I thought someone was trying to kill me!

-All of us? What, did you think all ten... well, ok, let's not count Ellie, all nine of us were trying to kill you?

-No, just one, I... I didn't know how many-

-So what, did you just not trust us to help you with it? Or did you-

-I was scared! \- Shouted Ryder. - Alright? Someone was trying to get to me and I didn't know where to turn! I thought it was one of you and I was afraid to go poking at that!

Logan rushed to Ryder's side, placing a hand on her shoulder.

-I don't know how to deal with this, dammit. I should have trusted you girls. I know. And I'm sorry I didn't.

Their outburst now over, Maddie looked away, feeling slightly ashamed. Before she could say anything, Chris raised her own question:

-So you thought it was one of us? \- Everyone looked at her. - I'm just trying to understand why, I'm not mad or anything. I imagine there was a good reason.

-Yeah. \- Ryder composed herself. - That first attempt, it was a trap, with spotlights and everything. Stuff made to counter my powers.

-Which not a lot of people know. \- Added Phoebe.

-Exactly. I took Logan and my family off the list of suspects, and that just left the team. There's no one else who...

-Wait, Ryder, what about Na...

-No. She's not. \- Said Ryder, hoping to stop Logan's suggestion.

-Wait, what?

Ryder sighed in annoyance.

-There was a girl. Years ago, back when I first started. Called Natalia. We worked together for about a week, she said she would help me set up a team. Then she turned out to be a lunatic who attacked us. But she's gone now.

-Are you sure? \- Asked Phoebe.

-Yes. Girl with bright red hair, vanished into the night four years ago and no one ever saw her again. She'd _dead_. And she didn't know how my powers worked in the first place, even I wasn't sure back then.

-She seems a pretty probably suspect, though. \- Countered Dawn.

-Not likely. She wasn't the subtle or stealthy kind. If this was her, we would _know_. And I doubt she had mind control powers anyway, which is what's throwing this whole thing off right now.

-I mean, she could have learned subtlety. It's been four years, hasn't it? \- Asked Cyrus. Logan nodded to confirm. - Seems weird to focus on the team with the possibility of her being around.

-Ugh, fine. \- Said Ryder, giving up on convincing the others. - Ellie, what do you think of this? You had all the clues thus far.

The whole group turned to Ellie, most of them surprised. The younger girl had shrunk herself into a corner, and so they'd forgotten she was there. Ellie herself seemed reluctant to talk.

-I... I don't know. \- She avoided the group's gazes. - You said she doesn't have mind control?

-Not that I know of. She certainly had enough chances to use it on me all those years back.

-Right. That's what's throwing me off right now, I... I don't know. I'm not even sure this is someone from inside the team anymore.

-How come? \- Asked Phoebe.

-Well, there's mind control involved. \- Pondered Ryder. - For all we know, this person could have just gotten the knowledge from someone else in the team.

Ellie simply watched as this all happened. Truth was, she still thought someone from the team might be involved. But, given the remaining members, she didn't want to accuse anyone. These were all her friends, she couldn't... she didn't want to just accuse any of them.

-Still. \- Said Maddie, who had returned to her seat. - If we're talking mind control, then there is one possibility in the team.

The room's attention shifted towards her.

-We used to have a _Mind Courier _, after all.__

____

A moment of shock ran through the room.

____

-Are you... suggesting... \- Asked an incredulous Chris.

____

-She's suggesting Celina. \- Said Dawn, looking aside to the wall, her face clearly enraged.

____

-But Celina is...

____

-Missing. \- Dawn completed Chris' phrase.

____

-Then she could be a suspect, yeah? If she's alive? \- Asked Maddie. - Look, I don't want it any more than you do, but if she's out there...

____

Dawn didn't respond. She couldn't even look to the others. There was no answer there she could accept.

____

-Dawn. \- Ryder intervened. - I'm sorry, but... we can't keep this up anymore. Celina...

____

-Celina can't control minds anyway. \- Snapped Dawn. - That's not her power.

____

-We... don't know that, really. Hers wasn't really a power we could see. She could have...

____

-Lied? Why? \- Dawn turned towards Maddie. - Why would she have lied to me, all those years back? What would the point of that have been?

____

-I don't know! \- Maddie defended herself. - I'm just saying that it kinda works! She took the name Mind Courier of her own will, and she's the only member of the team we don't know the location of all the time! And if she's alive...

____

-She IS alive!

____

-Then where has she been? Why hasn't she appeared yet? I don't want this to be Celina, Dawn, but if you're right and she's alive then she's been very suspect!

____

-She's argued with Ryder before, too. \- Said Ellie, immediately regretting it and looking away once Dawn looked at her with the same anger as she did to Maddie. Before Dawn could speak, though, it was Logan who stopped that discussion.

____

-Celina is dead. \- She said. - I'm sorry, Dawn. I know you're... dealing with that, still, but if the choice right now is between her being dead or an attempted murderer... I have to tell them what I know.

____

Dawn stammered, then gave up, returning to her seat and burying her head behind her knees.

____

-Wait, you can confirm it? \- Asked Chris.

____

-I can. And so can Phoebe.

____

Chris shuddered as well. The room turned to Phoebe, this time. Embarrassed, she started fiddling with her hands as she talked.

____

-Back on the night that... well, that night, Helen and I were in the area, and we saw a flare go up. We got there a minute or two later, and we found a bunch of people leaving the building. I went in first, because my powers make me a better scout, and took a look around the hall while Helen stood by the door, keeping an eye on me. One of the people there, this one man, said that Dawn was in the basement, but I couldn't see anything from on top the stairs.

____

-That's the time where I arrived. I saw the flare as well, and arrived there a few minutes after they did. Helen and I joined Phoebe, and the three of us went down to the basement, where we found Dawn unconscious and not transformed... and a hand on the floor.

____

-Wait. \- Ryder interjected. - A hand? There was something left of Celina?

____

-Yeah. I told you about this, you didn't remember? They cremated it alongside her hair at her funeral.

____

-I... didn't go. To her funeral.

____

The entire room, save for Dawn, looked at Ryder.

____

-Look, I was having a hard time accepting what happened, ok? \- Ryder crossed her arms in annoyance.

____

-Anyways. \- Logan pulled the subject back. - We took a look around the basement before declaring it clear so Phoebe could go help Dawn. The place was pretty destroyed, and... well.

____

Logan looked at Dawn with pity, before deciding to finish her explanation.

____

-The conclusion I came to, which... Dawn has yet to confirm or deny, is that the monster ate Celina, and Dawn, in trying to save her, overdid it with her powers, and instead tore the monster apart with wind.

____

The room fell quiet. As Dawn refused to react to this, Chris put a hand on her to offer comfort.

____

-Regardless. \- Said Ryder. - Ellie raised a good point. We're dealing with mind control. This might not have been a member of Team Courier this entire time. That still leaves us without any suspects, but I trust all of you enough to...

____

-Actually. \- Interrupted Ellie. - There is... one other thing.

____

The room's attention once more turned to Ellie. She gathered her courage. Accusing someone wasn't something she wanted to do, but... well, it was unfair to the others if she didn't face her own reluctance too.

____

-This may not have been mind control, but instead... well, just control.

____

-Puppeteering. \- Said Chris.

____

-Exactly. And if that's the case... and, I'm really sorry for saying this... but you would be the main suspect, Maddie.

____

-Oh, come on! Because I accused Celina?

____

-No! No, I...

____

-Wait. \- Ryder intervened. - Why do you think this might not be mind control?

____

-Well, nobody was speaking back in that building, right? They were just fighting. And not even fighting well, Helen is way more dangerous than she was being there. They weren't even thinking straight, anyone thinking straight there would have had the group focus on me instead. We'd both be dead right now if they did that.

____

-That... is a fair point. \- Ryder conceded. - They were using their powers, though.

____

-Yeah, I don't know how that works. But still, it... might have been?

____

-And that makes me a suspect somehow? \- Asked an incredulous Maddie.

____

-Well, not only that, but... the only person with a power that could control other people is you. You outright said you could before. And, well... you've been avoiding Dawn lately without explaining why...

____

Ellie's voice diminished as she talked, fading completely at the end of the sentence. Maddie sighed in annoyance.

____

-Look, I'm sorry! I don't think you did it! But it's a possibility, and...

____

-Yeah, yeah. I get it. And that all makes me look suspect. Never mind that I have no reason to do any of this.

____

-None of us do, Maddie. \- Said Chris.

____

-Maddie, please. \- Asked Phoebe. - We have to consider everything here. And you can clear that one up, right?

____

The two friends stared at each other, before Maddie gave up and threw her arms up.

____

-Fine, fine! If it makes me _stop being a murder suspect_ , I suppose...

____

It was Maddie's turn to be the center of attention in the room. She breathed in, and began.

____

-I used to... I had depression a few years back. Before I became a Magical Girl. One could say becoming a Magical Girl helped me out of it. I'd rather not clarify any of that, if that doesn't make me more suspicious. I've been fine for the last few years, but, well, Celina died, and I had issues dealing with a friend dying, you know? I've been... I've been feeling worse lately. So I started going to therapy more often lately, and I've been avoiding the whole thing with Dawn. It was selfish, yeah, but I couldn't... \- Maddie shook her hands in front of her, looking for some word without finding it, then giving up. - And I haven't told anyone because I didn't want you all to worry.

____

Maddie sunk into her chair as the room once more fell to silence, this time much shorter as Phoebe walked across the room, pulled Maddie up, and hugged her.

____

-You shouldn't worry so much about us. \- She said. - We understand . And yeah, we would have worried, because we want you to be ok. Because we care about you too. So let us help you when the going's tough, ok?

____

Maddie hugged Phoebe back.

____

As for Ellie, she didn't know how to feel. As she thought, accusing someone had ended badly, but it had also cleared some of her doubts. This entire situation just made her incredibly uncomfortable.

____

-If I may make a suggestion. \- Said Cyrus, attracting the entire room's attention to himself. - Ryder, you said you went to that building because you thought the culprit was there?

____

-Yeah. We had some information that made us think it might be their base.

____

-And then you ran into the others and retreated here, right?

____

Ryder nodded.

____

-Then there's a good chance the culprit might still be there.

____

-What, right where we fought?

____

-Absolutely. That's the last place one would expect to find them right now. And, for what it's worth, even if they're not, if that was their base, then it's worth taking a look at. Plus \- Cyrus stood up from his chair. - I may not have known all of you for very long, but I don't really think any of you are the culprit here. More importantly, I don't think any of you think that either. So, if the six remaining Couriers go together to investigate this... well, it seems like a good choice to me.

____

-You're right. \- Said Ryder. - If nothing else, we clear that building from any suspicion, and keep each other safe while we're doing it.

____

-Seems good to me. \- Said Maddie, wiping her own eyes. - Could do with clearing this matter as soon as possible anyway.

____

-I can keep an eye on the other girls here while you're all out. \- Said Logan. - To make sure everyone's safe. Your friend included.

____

Ellie nodded to Logan as a way to thank her.

____

-And I can make sure nobody gets wind of what's going on. The CDD would never believe it, but the tabloids would have a field day. I'll make sure none of that happens.

____

-Alright then. Team Courier acting as one. Let's get to it, girls. Let's find us a murderer.

____


	15. Thunderstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are better left said. Team Courier takes a mid-night stroll. Ellie learns that staring at others is wrong. Ryder's night continues to improve.
> 
> Thank you to tgva8889 for the contribution to this story!
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

-Ok, people, everyone go get ready. We meet on the roof in fifteen minutes.

The girls started leaving the room, each going to prepare for the incoming mission. For her part, Ryder felt happier than she had in many days. The team seemed mostly clear, and they were all finally on the same page and working together. This could be solved in a few-

-Ryder. \- Called Cyrus, pointing towards Dawn, who was still huddled on the chair, her head hidden behind her knees. To the exception of Ellie, all the girls had left the room now, so Ryder kneeled in front of Dawn and put a hand on her knee.

-Hey. You ok?

She knew the answer, but it felt right to ask regardless. Dawn didn't answer. It took a few minutes, but eventually she stood up at once, ignoring the rest of the room and moving toward the door.

-Dawn! Wait, I-

-You want to know if Logan was right? \- Dawn asked in a bitter tone, without turning her head back to look at the others. - Is that it? You want to know if that's a good guess, and I've just been denying what happened this whole time?

-...I wanted to apologize for you having to go through this. That's all. \- Answered Ryder. A moment of silence reigned in the room.

-Logan is more correct than she thinks.

And so Dawn left.

-You're getting her some psychiatric help. \- Said Ryder to Cyrus, with her back turned to him.

-Way ahead of you. \- He answered.

Ryder and Ellie traded looks, unsure of what either should do. In the end, Ellie just left the room, to go about her preparations. Ryder did much the same, leaving Cyrus alone to do his calls. Logan joined her outside.

-I'm sorry about doing that to Dawn, for what's worth. \- She said. - And for not telling you about that sooner.

-Don't worry. It's not like any of us saw any of this coming. We all thought that just giving her time to process what happened would be enough.

Logan mumbled in agreement.

-Say. \- Ryder asked when they got to the end of the hall. - How do _you_ manage your team?

-Sorry?

-It's just \- Ryder grasped at the air in front of her. - I dunno, most of the time I feel like I'm doing fine leading the team, but then stuff like that happens, and... gah, I just feel so powerless with this whole situation!

-Stuff like a murder attempt and your team arguing because of it?

-You know what I mean! This entire situation, the team arguing, Dawn having to face this because I didn't help her sooner...

-Hey! That wasn't your fault! None of this is! You did everything you could do on your own there, and it would have been fine if some other jackass wasn't trying to get to you!

-But I screwed up! Maddie was right, I should have talked to the rest of the team instead of hiding from them!

-Well... yes. You should have. You're still too used to working everything out on your own. Which isn't a bad thing, mind, you just need to get used to the mindset of trusting your team. Which I _know_ you do.

Logan put her hand on Ryder's shoulder.

-You're doing fine, Ryder. Team Courier's a good team, and that's mostly because of the work you put in. You should be proud, not questioning yourself. Don't let some random murderer get to you. Show them what team they messed with.

-Yeah. \- Ryder smiled. - Yeah, alright.

-Plus \- Said Logan, removing her hand from Ryder's shoulder. - Team Rescue is a whole different beast from Team Courier. There's a whole mess between the permanent members, and the voluntaries, and having to juggle all sorts of different routes...

-I can imagine that part. \- Ryder chuckled. - You're not overworking Suzume, are you?

-You know I'm not. \- Logan blew a raspberry at Ryder. - If anything, I've been trying to get someone to help her out and take some of the load. She's most of the team's communications backbone, it's fair she gets to rest a bit.

-I see you're acclimatizing well to being team leader, huh?

-Learned from the best. \- She poked Ryder with her elbow, and the two moved on, heading towards the Couriers' room.

\--------------------------------------------------

-I see... \- Said Katia. Ellie had just told her the entire matter, from start to finish. Admittedly, in a bit of an abridged version, but still. The two now sat by themselves on a quiet lounge, where she had found Katia. - I honestly have no idea what to say.

-That's alright. It's a lot, I know.

That said, Ellie herself was deep in her own thoughts. Explaining the situation to Katia, some new ideas had popped in her head, in particular regarding Ryder and Logan. This didn't go unnoticed.

-You're thinking about something. Making theories on your head?

Ellie nodded in confirmation.

-Thinking about Logan. She said a lot, but... I dunno, something she said feels off.

-Go on.

-Well... for one, this girl she mentioned, Natalia. Ryder never brought her up. Which I guess Ryder herself explained, but still, it feels weird. And then there's her mention of Celina's hand... and how she took a long time to go into the building after we did...

-From what you said, Logan's account seems solid to me. Phoebe confirmed it to be true, and from what you told me Dawn basically said she was right.

-Well... I suppose... but then we're back to square one. The only person I was a bit suspicious about was Maddie, and she cleared herself back there.

-I mean... no offense, I'm not saying that's what happened, but she could be lying. Whoever this is, they're trying to commit murder. What's lying about depression to throw people off the scent?

Ellie didn't respond. There was something of a point there. Maddie's claim about going to her therapist more often could probably be proven, but her actual state of mind was a different thing. For that matter, all the others could be lying. Phoebe could have confirmed Logan's account because they were working together. Even Ryder, or Dawn...

 _No_. She refused to entertain that idea. Dawn had no involvement in this.

-So... you're still going out tonight, aren't you?

Ellie put her thoughts aside for a moment.

-Yeah. Sorry. We need to clear this up, so things can go back to normal. \- She grabbed Katia's hand. - So none of us have to worry anymore.

Katia looked to the ground, clearly unsatisfied with that. She stood up and headed to the window. For a moment, it seemed like she wanted to say something, but if she did, she chose not to.

-You can stay here with Sandra. We'll just be a couple blocks over, shouldn't take long. And Logan's going to stay here to keep an eye on the girls, so you'll be safe.

-Yeah, ok. \- Katia murmured. Ellie wasn't sure what to do here. She wasn't even sure there was anything she _could_ do. And, ultimately, she chose to simply go. They would be able to talk later.

\--------------------------------------------------

As she and Logan entered the room, Ryder felt a mix of anger and distress. She hadn't seen her friends lying in their beds yet, and doing so brought back all of her worries regarding the situation. They were going to wake up, right? All they had to do was stop whoever was controlling them, and...

-Is she ok?

Ryder turned on her heels to find Phoebe standing near the door.

-Dawn, I mean. I saw her storm out of the office, she looked pretty angry.

-Agh, she's... \- Ryder sighed. - I don't know what to do about Dawn. I mean, I do, but...

-It's difficult.

-Yeah.

A somewhat awkward pause took place, during which Logan, whose presence had been all but forgotten about, quietly left the room to give the two some privacy.

-So, uh... I was wondering, since you told us about how you've been worried these last few days and all... back at, back at Mama Maho's, when you got all startled.

-What? Oh! Yeah, sorry about that, I was just... I was worried. Getting paranoid lately.

-I can imagine.

The two laughed awkwardly.

-Still... good to know it wasn't anything I did. I was a bit worried about that.

-No, no, it wasn't you. I was... I was actually enjoying myself until then.

Ryder was very aware she was blushing. Phoebe was as well, but this time neither was avoiding the other's eyes.

-I was enjoying myself too. \- Phoebe answered. Ryder wasn't sure how to react, but didn't have to, as Phoebe grabbed her hand in a moment of courage. They stayed like that for a few seconds, seemingly unsure of what to do next and instead just enjoying the moment, until both remembered where they were and what the current situation was, and they let go.

-Well \- Ryder cleared her throat. - We could, uh... you know, when this is over, we could go to Mama Maho's again. Celebrate and whatnot.

Phoebe smiled.

-Deal. And hey, until then, depending on how this situation goes... I'll help keep you safe, ok?

It was Ryder's turn to smile.

-I think I'd like that, yeah.

\--------------------------------------------------

Up atop the building, just by the door to the roof outside, Dawn had just arrived, to find Maddie propped against a wall.

-Look. \- Maddie started. - I wanted to apologize. I wasn't trying to hurt you or anything, and I definitely didn't think I was about to bring all of that up. So... I'm sorry for accusing Celina and hurting you.

A quiet second passed. A few footsteps seemed to indicate Dawn had walked past Maddie and towards the door.

-For what it's worth, I'm sorry about your situation too. \- Dawn said. She seemed calmer. - Can't be easy, dealing with that.

-Not really. But I have a good therapist. And good friends. I can give you the therapist's number, if you want.

Dawn didn't answer that. Another quiet moment passed, before she said:

-If you're behind this, though, I'm going to punch your lights out.

-Heh. Same to you. \- Answered Maddie. The door to the outside opened, and either one or both of them left.

A bit lower down the stairs, Ellie, having heard all of this, decided to wait a bit before going up and checking if either girl was still inside. Better to leave them alone for now, she concluded, deciding to go pick up something from the vending machine nearby.

Much to her surprise, Chris had the same idea.

-Oh. 'Sup.

-Hey.

The two stood there, picking their drinks. Turned out neither really had much to say to the other at that moment.

Eventually, however, Ellie remembered she _did_ have something to ask.

-Hey, Chris, lemme check something with you. Back when I was investigating the team, I talked to Melissa, and she said you guys were there at the building the night Celina died.

-She what? Nah, we were on the other side of the city. Ryder can confirm that for you. I think we were the only team that didn't go to the building, in fact. I only heard about it the next day, myself.

-Hm.

Ellie couldn't really find a fault with that statement. She decided to check with Ryder later.

\--------------------------------------------------

Not too long later, the team convened outside on the roof. The Barrier tonight was, indeed, dark green, with light pink windows and a weird tower-like pattern all over the walls, and the sky was clear, with a light breeze occasionally passing by, making the temperature ever so slightly colder than what would be pleasant. To Ryder, however, the weirdest feeling was that of not having her satchel bag on her shoulder. She'd been fine earlier, since they weren't going out for patrol, but now, greeting the Barrier without being ready for her job made the whole world feel off-center for her.

After making sure everyone was ready (and after Ellie double-checked with her regarding where Chris had been on the night Celina died), Ryder gave the order for the others to set out. The blue building was nearby, so the trip didn't take too much, but it was still enough for Ellie to give her theories a bit more thought.

Maddie seemed an unlikely suspect to her. There was, yes, the possibility that she had lied, but Ellie thought that to be unlikely. Chris probably wasn't behind the whole thing, but there was nothing to prove she hadn't taken part in this either. Same thing for Phoebe. Both of them seemed clear to Ellie, at least for now. Celina, as per Maddie's theory, had a lot of possibly suspicious points on her side, but also a confirmation by three different people of her being dead. Granted, Phoebe and Logan could have lied, but Ellie had no concrete reason to think they might have.

She had considered the possibility of the mind control having forced them to lie, and also discarded that idea. None of the girls back in the blue building had been able to talk, even when there was only one of them left. This seemed a rather unlikely idea. Other than that, Ellie believed Ryder when she said that girl, Natalia, was of no concern. Which left... barely anything for them to go on with, really.

Ellie continued to ignore the notion of Dawn being involved in this, and put her suspicions aside for the moment. However little she had to go on with, they were about to explore the blue building properly. That would give them more to go on, possibly even some real, solid evidence for once.

As the group finally arrived on top of the building opposite to the blue one, they all stopped near the edge of the roof, looking down.

-So how do we get into the building, now? \- Asked Maddie.

-Maybe we could break a window?

-Don't even think about it.

-Well, we could stop in front of the door and ask to be let in, but if we're investigating...

-Guys, what about...

Ellie started talking, then very suddenly stopped. The entire group looked toward her, and, noticing she was looking somewhere beside them, looked the other way.

A massive, hulking monster, about 4 meters tall, had climbed the side of the building towards them. It had three large muscled arms, a ring of eyes going all around it's torso at it's shoulders' height, and no head, with six spider-like legs, all of them looking like they were made of steel.

-Scatter! \- Shouted Ryder. So the team did, jumping in different directions to avoid the monster's first swing of it's arm towards them.

Ryder knew what this monster was. She'd seen a few before, and they were a huge cause for concern. Primarily because they came in pairs (and Ryder couldn't see the second one anywhere), but also because they were remarkably tough. The only times she got to witness them being taken down, it had been thanks to some magical heavy-hitter blasting it with tons of magic from afar, and right now none of the girls had that kind of power.

Still, they had to stop that thing. Ryder used the shadows to jump close, into it's effective range, and threw a punch at it's eye... to no result. It was like punching a wall. Ryder hanged in the air for an instant, visibly confused, and was then swatted away by the monster, landing in an entirely different street.

Maddie and Phoebe called out to Ryder and Chris immediately started heading towards her, while Dawn flew circles around the monster to keep it distracted, to no effect. Ellie tried knocking it off-balance by making the ground liquid, to no effect other than making it focus on her. The thing did another sweep of the roof with it's arm, this time more successful, as it dragged Maddie and Ellie all the way to the other side of the roof and across the street, throwing Maddie over the next building's roof and Ellie at a window. The sound of glass cracking told her it wouldn't hold much longer.

Phoebe and Dawn were having no success at stopping the monster, and so it barreled toward Ellie. Instinctively, she made the glass and the wall around herself liquid, once more managing to sink into the Barrier without issue, this time as a whole, attempting to envelop herself in the wall to avoid the monster's hit. The process stopped halfway, however, leaving most of her exposed as the monster took a swing.

At the last moment, Maddie managed to jump from the building and landed a slap on the creature's arm, using her power to ever so slightly alter the course of it's hit... making it strike the wall, bringing it and the Barrier down, Ellie with them.

Ryder landed on a nearby alley, having eased her fall with some portals.

_That was unpleasant_ , she thought, casually dusting some nearby monster that tried to take advantage of her fall. _Wait._ Ryder did a double-take, looking at her own fist. Something was wrong. That monster had just gone down in a single attack, even though...

Ryder suddenly created a theory as to how to defeat the monster her team was facing.

At that moment, Chris landed nearby. She extended her hand, which Ryder grabbed, ready to get back up and into the fight.

Then Chris punched Ryder.

For a second, Ryder was taken off-balance, in a mix of rage and confusion, before she got to look at Chris, and understood what happened.

Chris had those same cold, dead eyes.

-Ellie! Ellie, come on, get up!

-I'm ok! Just... help me out with this!

Ellie pushed a piece of wall away from herself, with Dawn's aid. The older girl helped her up, as the monster appeared on the gap it had created, pushing it's way through the wall to get to the inside of the building. A loud gasp called Ellie's attention, and she looked back, the slow, horrific realization of where they were coming to her as she saw the crowd of people she stood in front of, the nightclub's lights and music still blaring despite the quiet terror of the crowd.


	16. Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two battles rage on. Team Courier pulls it's best moves. A threshold is crossed.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

A bright light shined across the night in the city as Chris punched Ryder through one of her own portals.

Both girls landed on their feet, but Chris recovered first, using the momentum to dash forward and throw a powerful punch at Ryder, who only barely blocked it. Still, it threw her off enough that Chris could follow the attack with a kick to Ryder's side, which connected and sent her tumbling into the ground.

Ryder took the chance and vanished into her own shadow, appearing behind Chris and punching the back of her leg. With Chris now kneeling, Ryder threw a follow-up punch, hitting Chris on the arm. Her turn to tumble to the ground.

Much like Ryder, Chris didn't wait around. She fired a shot of lightning from her arm, teleporting on the wall behind Ryder and using the speed to perform a dropkick. Ryder, however, saw this coming, dodging to the side and punching Chris into another portal, sending her further down the street. Ryder decided to take this chance to run towards the rest of the team, hoping to check on them without actually putting them in danger.

Truth was, despite their records, Ryder feared fighting Chris more than she did Maddie. Oh, Maddie was a danger no doubt, but she was both younger and less experienced, and most of the danger in fighting her came from how unpredictable Maddie's use of her powers was. Chris, on the other hand, was Ryder's equal in almost every aspect. Their sparring score was, in fact, tied. They were both skilled fighters, but Ryder could overcome Chris in sheer strength, while Chris was vastly superior when it came to fighting actual people. As such, Ryder couldn't afford to hold back: either she fought back in full earnest, or Chris would very likely kill her.

And that, Ryder would never allow.

The ground shook as the monster landed inside the nightclub. It looked around, seemingly entranced by how many people it was surrounded by as it loomed over them.

Then from outside came Maddie, landing on top of the creature. It barely registered her at first, but then, in what was a clear use of the girl's powers, it was sent stumbling backwards, crashing onto a pillar as Maddie jumped off of it, landing in front of Ellie and Dawn. She had a small streak of blood coming from her head, because of the hit she'd taken earlier. Phoebe soon joined them.

-Are you girls... oh, this isn't good.

Droves of quickly panicking patrons were massing behind the girls, putting distance between themselves and the monster. As the nightclub was a somewhat large square with a rather tiny second floor, this wasn't improving the situation at all.

-Ok, sitrep! How many people and where are the exits?

Ellie looked around the room. A large, open square for the first floor where people could dance, with a simple stage on one end and a bar on the other, the girls and the crowd on one side and the monster on the other. A few columns held up the metal walkway that made the second floor, with a DJ booth perched to one side. Aside from some windows higher up (and the massive hole above them that was now present), the only exit Ellie could see was the normal one, which definitely would not fit all those people in this situation.

-Dozens of people. \- Informed Dawn, her bird flying overhead. - Can't give you an exact number.

-Only emergency exit I can see is behind the monster.

-Right. Great. \- Said Maddie. The monster stood back up, angling to swipe it's arm at them again. - Phoebe!

The girl didn't answer at all. She seemed as if she would nod, but instead froze in-

With a loud boom, Phoebe suddenly appeared on the other side of the room, punching the monster hard enough to make it fall backwards again.

It took Ellie a second to understand what had happened, since that thing was tough enough to withstand Ryder, but the voices of the crowd clued her in. There were dozens of people there, all looking towards them as Phoebe used her powers. Phoebe's powers were being multiplied _by several dozens_.

Predictably, her second punch didn't work as well. The creature tried to grab her, but Phoebe froze into place and then reappeared at the walkway above, far from it's grasp. At that same moment, Ryder appeared on the hole on the wall. She took one look at the situation and, even though Ellie couldn't hear it, clearly cursed at the sight.

-Ryder, good timing! Help us out with...

-I can't! Chris is-WOAH!

Lightning sparked as Chris teleported in and swung a punch at Ryder, who dodged and batted her away.

-Yeah, that! I need you guys to deal with this so I can stop her!

-That's fine, we'll work it out! \- Ryder nodded and jumped out of the hole into the street outside. Maddie turned to Phoebe. - Can you hold it off for a while?

-Don't take too long! \- Phoebe answered, once again firing a high-speed punch at the monster.

-Ok, Dawn, you send your bird outside. Find the exit to the building and make sure it's clear of monsters.

Dawn nodded and flew upwards, out of the place.

-Now, we can't get people out through that exit with the monster on top of it, so it's gonna have to be the normal way. Get through the people, find the usual exit, get it open. I'll try and herd them so we don't have a massive stampede. And keep an eye out, there should be another emergency exit somewhere near the front!

Ellie nodded and jumped into the crowd, doing her best to navigate the sea of people as Maddie shouted instructions, sometimes telling people to keep looking at the yellow Magical Girl.

Phoebe herself was keeping up fine. She wasn't sure she was hurting the monster, but she was staggering it, and right now that was more than anyone else could do. For now, she did her dance, blinking around the monster and occasionally slamming into it whenever it came too close to people, or just if she thought she had a good opening. The monster was strong, yeah, but even if only for a brief moment every few seconds, she was strong enough to match.

Phoebe had told Ellie once about how her powers worked, that when transformed she could feel the gazes of everyone in her presence, both the ones fixed on her and the ones looking away, which let her know just how powerful she could become at any one point. It was an useful power and she rarely had the chance to use it with many people, but, in her own opinion, it had the serious drawback of being very arbitrary. This was Ellie's concern: the second she opened the exits to the building and people started pouring out of the nightclub, Phoebe's powers would begin to wane.

Regardless, their safety came first. Ellie barreled out the front door, and found Dawn was nowhere to be seen. Her eagle, however, hovered over the door as if keeping an eye out, which was enough confirmation for Ellie. She gave the all-clear and people started pouring out, to which Ellie went against the current, planning to get back into the floor. From the entrance, however, she could spot the blinking light of an emergency exit nearby the dance floor, which she did her best to inch towards.

Her effort was mostly in vain, however, as, right when she freed herself from the crowd and got close to it, the civilians around just waiting for her to clear them to leave through it, the monster struck a blow to the wall, crumbling it and permanently blocking that exit. Phoebe suddenly landed in front of it, froze still for a second, then vanished, presumably returning to the fight.

-Ok, everyone out the front door, now! \- Shouted Ellie, going through the broken wall to rejoin the fight.

In the minute or so she had been absent, the situation in the floor had deteriorated somewhat. As Ellie had guessed, the waning number of people had made Phoebe's burst slower and weaker, and not she mostly ran around the monster instead of directly meeting it. Her punches couldn't hurt it anymore.

-Ellie! Good, you're back. \- Said Ellie, reaching out to her. - Listen to me: we're going to switch. Phoebe's going into crowd control, and I'm taking the fight over. And I need you to provide support!

-Me?

-Yeah! I can keep that thing distracted no problem, but it's too strong for me to account for everything. I need you to slow it down with your powers whenever you think it's about to do something that's a danger to the civvies!

-I... ok! \- Ellen nodded, and Maddie gave her a reassuring smile.

-You'll do fine! Let's go.

The two girls jumped into the fray, Ellie staying on the bottom floor, and Maddie jumping to the walkway above.

-Hey Phoebe! \- Maddie took a chair and threw it at the monster with her powers, making it shatter onto it on impact. - Switch!

Phoebe gladly blinked out of her spot while the monster searched for the source of the chair, locking onto Maddie as she stood on top of the walkway's railing, staring it down.

-You and me now, buddy. Bring it on.

Out in the streets, Ryder emerged from a portal onto the building opposite the nightclub. She had just led Chris on a merry chase around the block, knowing that she wouldn't really lose her from sight, but instead hoping to tire her out.No such luck, however. Chris landed on the roof like a clap of thunder and immediately dashed onto Ryder with her shoulder, forcing both out of balance.

Ryder could hear the noise from inside the nightclub as her friends fought that monster. The urge to go help them despite Chris was great, but she had to focus. Chris was playing for keeps.

With both girls back on their feet, Chris went for a punch, which Ryder tried turning into a hold. No such luck: Chris overpowered her and turned the tables, bending Ryder's arm and forcing her to her knees. However, this was Ryder's turn: they'd done this before when sparring, and Ryder had learnt the trick to leaving: she elbowed the side of Chris' own knee, forcing the other girl to let her go. Immediately, Ryder moved in, grabbed Chris by her hip, and threw her to the ground, going for a mount.

Chris, of course, was also ready, and responded with a knee to the side of Ryder's face, which only missed by a hair, grazing her a bit. Ryder staggered back, both girls getting back up on their feet. Except, instead of that, Chris lunged at Ryder, trying to bring her to the ground this time. Ryder reacted on instinct and kicked Chris away, once more leaving herself out of balance.

It was like trying to stop a river with one's own hands. Chris was relentless, shooting lightning as she fell backwards to reappear behind Ryder an pull her hood down. Ryder elbowed the general vicinity of Chris, making contact with something that forced the girl to take a step back and let go. Removing the hood from her head, she saw Chris raise her right arm, preparing to shoot her lightning at point-blank range. Ryder immediately moved to block her shot, to which Chris responded by landing a blow with her left.

A feint.

This kind of thing was precisely what Ryder was concerned about. She and Chris had met early in both of their careers, when Ryder was looking for ways to improve her fighting skills. She'd joined a few classes on different martial arts, but it was coming back from one of them that she found Chris, fighting off a few thugs on a backalley. As it happened, she was in fact proficient in some martial arts (Not that she ever told Ryder _which_ ), and, more importantly, had practice fighting actual people in real combat. On her side, Chris had been looking for someone who could help her with figuring out how to fight monsters, and so the two, bonding over mutual respect of each other's fighting abilities, became sparring partners.

The problem was, of course, that at this moment (A right hook, feinted into a right elbow to the side), the same experience and skill that made Ryder come to respect Chris (A straight left punch, no feint, but now she wasn't expecting it) was now being used against her. Chris knew where to strike and how to strike (A knee, turned into a straight kick. It only grazed, but it still hurt), and so, when her hits landed (a low jab, using the momentum of the missed kick to hit point-blank), they did that much more damage.

Whatever was controlling Chris (Another jab, taking advantage of the opening from the last one) had learned from the encounter a few hours ago (A third jab, straight into Ryder's guard). Chris was alone, and fighting with the whole of her skills.

Chris followed all of this up by throwing a fake punch, instead launching her hand behind Ryder's head, intending to grab her to fire a series of punches as a finisher.

_Now._

Ryder knew this sequence. She had seen Chris use it before, to finish fights off quickly. The grab itself was a feint, designed to make the opponent move and make themselves easy to disorient, setting them up for a different finisher. So she didn't move.

Instead, Ryder sunk into Chris' shadow, as she'd spent the last few moves positioning it. Chris' hand passed through the air above Ryder's head harmlessly as she grabbed onto Chris' waist, pulling her into the shadow. Ryder used her power to ensure the shadow would continue large enough as she did this. Hard to do, but the alternative was worse.

The two appeared on the street below, falling sideways from a wall as Ryder used the momentum to slam Chris' back on the ground. Without stopping, Ryder moved down and grabbed Chris by her ankles, disappearing into the building's own shadow and bringing Chris with her...

...back to the roof of the building, where she instead slammed Chris on a wall. This time, she left Chris there, sinking alone into the shadows, only to reappear in front of Chris by punching her through the shadows, a strong blow to the chin that she followed up by grabbing the back of Chris' head and forcing it down, kneeing her in the stomach and letting the girl fall to the ground.

No time to pause. Ryder moved Chris' hand aside and clamped an arm over her neck, going for a sleeper hold. It worked, and she pressed on, trying to knock her friend out.

And then, a second too late, she saw the hand she had just moved arcing with electricity and realized what their positions were, as Chris fired a lightning bolt point blank, shooting both Ryder and herself into the hole on the side of the nightclub.

Ellie immediately understood why Ryder and Chris thought so highly of Maddie's skills.

She had seen Maddie fight before, but that had been an entirely different level from now. It was as if Maddie walked on air, the way she fought. The older girl threw herself toward the monster, only to the suddenly yank herself upward, as if gravity itself decided to help her out, letting the monster's swing pass her by harmlessly. Then, again, she switched directions entirely, landing a kick on one of it's eyes. It barely did any damage, but the creature was visibly frustrated by her.

Once more, she yanked herself mid-air, lading on the metal walkway and running toward the DJ's booth, narrowly avoiding the monster's arm as it swung down on her. Ellie, on the floor below, turned the surrounding wall into liquid, resulting in less debris flying around. Maddie, meanwhile, jumped into the booth and sent everything in it flying toward the monster at ludicrous speeds, actually forcing it to take a few steps back for a moment before it started charging at her. Ellie turned the ground slippery, throwing the monster off and giving Maddie the time to jump out of the booth and down to the first floor again.

The monster skidded out of control and slammed onto the wall. The entire building shook a bit, but the monster itself barely stopped, lunging towards Maddie and attacking, first hitting the ground in front of her, then swinging an arm above her head, hitting the stage instead and knocking it off it's place.

Maddie looked to the stage like a child looks at a new toy, although Ellie couldn't fathom the reason why. Still, Maddie decided not to dodge the monster's third swing, instead blocking it with her powers, making it only hit her hard enough that she could land on the stage. There, Maddie stood up straight and arced her arms, like a witch casting a spell.

At which point the entire stage shot off the ground and hit the monster, finally staggering it somewhat. Not planning to stop, Maddie stopped the entire stage mid-air and forced it back on it's way, hitting the monster with it a second time. Still keeping the stage on the literal air, she started using her powers to throw everything on the stage towards the monster, pelting it with boxes and instruments.

The monster, however, wasn't pleased, and powered through to hit the stage with all three of it's arms, reducing it to rubble and launching Maddie toward the ground, which Ellie turned liquid so as to soften Maddie's fall. The girl thanked her, trying to get back into the fight despite being visibly tired. Ellie decided to jump into the fray herself, skating around the monster and making the ground underneath it liquid to call it's attention.

And then, above them, Ryder and Chris fell inside the nightclub.

The two girls landed on the metal walkway above the monster, neither of them landing all that gracefully. Ryder recovered first, some electricity still coursing through her body, and noticed that the walkway was mostly covered in a metal grate, with the exception of the bits behind the pillars. No more portals.

Chris, on the other end of the walkway, seemed very aware of that. She took a stance more akin to boxing, and zig-zagged her way to Ryder, who took a similar stance. While this made the fight easier in a way, as blocking and redirecting Chris' blows was easier than dealing with her earlier feints, it also meant Ryder had no way to fight back. Chris was now simply throwing blows, and this had made her significantly faster, stitching punch after punch after kick after punch, barely leaving any openings and wearing Ryder down.

She couldn't back down, however, so instead Ryder pushed forward, tanking one of her attacks with her arm and striking back with another. The punch was a miss, but Chris didn't take the opportunity to grab her. Instead, she fired another blow, getting Ryder on the stomach and forcing her back again, into her defensive position but now slightly hunched over. Ryder started being pushed back.

Little by little, Chris' blows started to come closer and closer, just barely missing, just barely hitting, until one of them actually landed. Then another. Then another. Chris started pummeling Ryder's defense and driving her back. Now was the time to end this, and she did not miss her chance.

That is, Ryder did not miss her chance. As Chris started her big attack, Ryder, who had drawn her in by acting defensive, instead countered, landing a solid punch to Chris' stomach.

Without missing a beat, she transferred from that punch to an elbow to Chris' chest. And still without stopping, she extended that arm, grabbed Chris by the collar, and threw a chop to the base of her neck, intending to knock her down.

And yet Chris did not fall.

At the last moment, she moved her shoulder to block Ryder's chop, and instead grabbed her head with both hands, and headbutted her. Ryder stumbled backwards, barely holding herself conscious. Still, instinct led her to use her grip and her own fall backwards to throw Chris to the ground, using the column's shadow to teleport her away.

She wasn't going to beat Chris. Not alone, at least. She meant that combo as a finisher, and had no idea what she did wrong nor the time to figure it out. She needed help.

At that moment, Chris, who Ryder had teleported to the ceiling, hit the floor on the other side of the walkway. She would recover quickly. Probably use her powers to cross the gap. And if that was the case, Ryder had a plan.

Taking in air, Ryder loudly whistled, without taking her eyes away from Chris, and, in a very visible motion, pointed her thumb up.

 _She'll get the message_ , Ryder thought. She took a step back to get into position, and took up a defensive stance, drawing Chris in. Predictably, Chris shot a bolt of lightning, using it to throw herself at Ryder for another attack. Electricity arced around the bolt from the metal railing, heading towards an unyielding Ryder.

Until Maddie popped up from a shadow in the floor, catching the bolt with one hand and forcing Chris to materialize early in mid-air. Which Maddie immediately followed by uppercutting her in the face.

Not satisfied, Maddie used her powers to turn around in the air, grabbing Ryder and giving her a boost, as planned. Ryder grabbed onto Chris and dragged her through the portal Maddie had just come from. Her sense of balance and positioning already thrown due to the punch to the jaw, Chris could barely comprehend what happened as Ryder body-slammed her through a portal, knocking Chris down and transporting both of them to the lower floor of the nightclub.

Chris was out of the game.

At this point, Ryder would have liked nothing more than to sit down and take a long nap. But people were still in danger. She needed to move.

Maddie, meanwhile, stayed at the walkway where Ryder had just been, leaning on a pillar to catch her breath a little. Ellie, who she had left distracting the monster in order to help Ryder, jumped up onto the walkway as well.

-Hey, you ok? \- She asked Maddie.

-Yeah, just a bit tired.

Beneath, the monster swatted Dawn's bird away, despawning it, only to immediately be distracted by Phoebe, whose crowd control job Ryder had just taken over. At the sight of her, the monster stood perfectly still for a second, it's eyes switching from Ellie, to Phoebe, to the downed Chris, almost as if it was making a calculation. And then, as a horrifying conclusion appeared on everybody's minds, it swung it's arm down onto Chris.

Phoebe, who was at the tail-end of a sprint using her powers, had no one looking at her, and couldn't get to Chris in time. Ryder, who was surrounded by civilians near the door, could only watch. And Maddie barely had time to read Ellie's expression from behind the column before reacting. The only one close enough to Chris was Ellie.

She wasn't sure this would work. She had no reason whatsoever to think this would work, other than the fact that it _could_ work, and she was the only one who could get there in time.

So Ellie jumped from the walkway and onto the first floor, aiming to fall beside Chris' unconscious body.

 _Fan thinks I can do this. Just don't think about it too hard._ She had made the ball keep it's shape when liquid. Surely, now, she could take another step forward with her powers...

Ellie impacted with the floor and immediately turned it liquid, causing it to depress, a wave of floor raising around her...

Which she then shaped. Moving her hands alongside the wave, she covered Chris and herself with it, making a dome of liquid floor above their heads, and then turning it solid-

WHUMP

She had closed her eyes, fearing what would happen next. The dull sound, however, was all. As Ellie reopened her eyes, she found herself and Chris, safely hidden in a depressed section of ground, a wall over their heads that the monster had been entirely unable to break through.

-Haha... \- she let out nervous laughter as her transformation cancelled itself. - I _can_ do that!

She leaned onto her makeshift wall, feeling the strength to stand up leave her. The monster, however, hadn't stopped in the meantime. Instead, it turned around, sweeping the walkway as it jumped over and out of the nightclub... with Maddie now firmly held in the grasp of it's hand.

-Maddie!

Ryder shouted and immediately ran from the crowd, ready to give chase. Why had it caught Maddie? Where was it going? Her head filled with questions as she prepared to jump into shadows, but, as she did, something grabbed onto her arm and stopped her.

In horror, Ryder turned her head to find Phoebe, her eyes cold and dead, holding her wrist.

Before Ryder could even process the event, however, Phoebe was tackled to the ground by the barely-conscious Ellie.

-Go! \- She shouted, and on instinct and fear, Ryder did so, diving into the shadows of Ellie's makeshift structure and emerging on the street outside. 

She could see it! The monster was running down the street, Maddie struggling against it's grip to little effect.

-Dawn! \- Ryder shouted into the night, hoping her friend would be somewhere near as she once again dove into shadows, emerging closer to the monster.

_I can cut if off_ , she hoped. The monster turned into a different street. Where was it going? And where the hell was Dawn?

Ryder once again teleported, this time on top of a building. There was no logical place for a monster to go at this time, but it seemed to be heading in the direction of the Outer Barrier? A dreadful thought came to Ryder, and she dove into the shadows once again.

She appeared once more on the street, just barely failing to grab onto one of the creature's legs. 

-Dammit! \- She dove back into the shadows, this time appearing in front of the creature, but it simply turned instead, dangerously closer to it's goal.

As she made the turn to face the Outer Barrier, Ryder's eyes glazed over for all of a moment, as if she was reacting to something, even though the Barrier looked normal.

And at the very next moment, the monster jumped, throwing itself at the Outer Barrier, Maddie between the two.

For a moment there was silence, and then there was a bright flash, as if thunder had struck the ground before Ryder. Then, an instant later, a similarly powerful noise was heard, shaking the girl off her feet.

And by the time it was over, there was nothing left, save a scorch mark on the ground before the Barrier.


	17. The Mourning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She is gone.
> 
> Thank you to SorceressEpele and morpheoMancer for their contributions to this chapter.

Katia leaned on the doorway, staring into the dark room as the first few rays of daylight seeped into it, creating small lines across the light blue wallpaper. There was no noise coming from outside: far too soon still. And so, sitting there in the quiet, at the foot of the bed, was Ellie.

She had her back turned to the door, and if she'd noticed Katia, she didn't respond. According to what Katia had been told by Ellie's fathers, she had been like that since she arrived, not even telling them what had happened. Katia, of course, knew. She was in the hospital when it happened. She saw them wheel in two more Team Courier girls, both entirely unresponsive, and then someone else brought in Ryder and an unconscious Ellie, apparently from overusing her magic.

And nobody brought the pink girl in. She was simply nowhere to be seen.

Katia only heard about what happened a few hours later, when Ellie woke up and someone else filled her in. The pink girl, Magdalena was her name, had died. Something about a monster and the Outer Barrier, she didn't pay attention. Her focus was on Ellie, who immediately upon being told that stood up and left. Vanished for a whole hour, or at least that's how long it took for someone to tell Katia that Ellie had left the hospital entirely.

So Katia had come here. Few other places for Ellie to go, really, and to Katia it was obvious that she would just blindly head home. She'd done it before, when she was too distressed about things. It made her feel safe. And so here she was, sitting in her own bedroom, in silence.

Katia herself, meanwhile, didn't quite know how she felt. If you asked her, she would have said she felt tired, stressed, maybe a bit burnt out on account of having a rough night. She could also say she was scared, and sad to hear a member of Team Courier had died.

What got to her, however, was that somewhere in the middle of all that, mixed into the whole thing, was relief. She was _relieved_ , relieved that when the bad news came it hadn't been Ellie to take the worst of it. That Ellie was fine, even if someone else had died in her stead. Granted, she wasn't happy someone had died, but... after everything that had happened, knowing the people she loved weren't hurt, it made her feel better. And she didn't know how to deal with feeling like that upon being told someone was dead.

Did that make her a worse person? She didn't feel like a worse person for it, but she still felt guilty, as if she shouldn't be relieved about this. In the back of her very tired mind, the act felt as if she was fine with someone dying so long as it wasn't someone she cared about. But then she also knew that wasn't true.

Katia wondered if she would have already made sense of all of this if she wasn't so exhausted. She certainly wouldn't be so calm about it, at least. Right now, however, she just felt concerned enough about that to hesitate. To think about what that meant for her, for what this said about her, about how right she was to be here.

But that didn't matter right now. Right now, Ellie needed someone. Needed her.

Katia entered the room, closing the door behind her, and sat by the foot of the bed, beside Ellie.

And hugged her.

\--------------------------------------------------

The morning sun breached through the windows, shining brightly in defiance of any one individual's feelings.

Fan Yáo had seen this scene before. She had, in fact, been the one to do this, during her own teenage years a long, long time ago. And now, she could only watch, as Yuè emptied her fallen friend's locker.

There was no real need to do that. The team's manager, a man Fan had only just met a few minutes ago, had assured Yuè that he would do it himself, as well as deliver the contents to the girl's parents. But Yuè had insisted on clearing the locker in their team's base herself. And Fan knew why. She had imparted over Yuè, as she once did with her own daughter, with her strong sense of duty, of responsibility. It had made Fan into a strong and fair person once, and she knew, with pride, that it had made her granddaughter into a good person now. But in times like these, she also knew it made things harder for them. Yuè would forever carry the burden of feeling responsible for what had happened to her friend tonight. This, Fan knew.

Since her powers had left her almost 50 years prior, Fan had been occasionally assaulted by doubts about how wise it was to allow girls to fight so young. Especially in times where she looked back upon her own experiences, she couldn't help but wonder how different her life could have been had she not spent so much of that time, of her formative years, in constant battle. Always trying to come up with new tricks, now ways to survive, new ideas on how to outsmart monsters. As such, it had brought her great joy when her own daughter didn't become a Magical Girl... and great dread when her granddaughter, already marked by tragedy herself, became one.

In hindsight, Fan wasn't sure if Yuè had been lucky or unlucky. Until now, she hadn't experienced many tragedies in her career, yes, but she had also been faced with death more times than any girl her age should ever have to be. Yuè could count them: twelve times. Twelve times, over the last four years, had she been woken up in the middle of the night to be told Yuè had been carried into a hospital in a critical state. All twelve times, her granddaughter had pulled through, and they had made her into a stronger and wiser person for it. But she had also become far more tired, and far more scarred, mentally. Yuè tried not to show, but one can't hide such things from those who are similar. Many things kept Fan awake on some nights, and she knew very well that many of those things also assailed Yuè.

And now, her granddaughter performed the same ritual as she did. The burying of a friend. Taking their possessions and placing them in a box, to be sent to the girl's parents. The feeling of responsibility, warranted or not, that this brought. Fan knew. And a part of her grieved for it.

\--------------------------------------------------

Cyrus hung the phone in his office, reclining his chair back into the midday sun in order to warm himself up. He had been talking to a friend, getting some tips on how to... proceed. Pink tulips, he said. Cyrus didn't even know tulips came in pink.

Truth be told, he'd always avoided this part of the job before. Either through unimportance at first, or through luck later, his teams had somehow always avoided this sort of situation. He didn't even like to think of it much. Regardless, it was real, and it was his job to deal with it.

Times like these, he wondered about the future. Not his. He would be fine, or at least he hoped so. But that of his daughter: Irina was eight years old now. Give a few more years, she might become a Magical Girl. Or her friends might. In some way or another, she would be affected by things similar to this.

He looked at the things on his desk. Papers, of all sorts. Forms, responses, inquiries, a list of answers for the press. Names and adjectives. Meanwhile, a family out there had to wake up to the reality these all described in crude terms.

Cyrus pulled himself out of the light, and started pouring over the documents again.

That's why he was there. He was the speed bump. Something bad happened, it was _his_ job to deal with the bullshit. The press, the choices, the paperwork, everything he could take from their shoulders.

And hope his present wouldn't be his daughter's future.

\--------------------------------------------------

Logan turned down Fan's offer of more tea, sitting under a tree to hide from the afternoon sun. She knew Fan was trying to get her to rest, and Logan refused to do so. Someone was trying to kill her best friend. She would watch over Ryder house however long was necessary.

She should have gone with them to that building. She knew that now. Hindsight was a bitch, but that wasn't about to stop Logan from blaming herself for not going with them. Ryder had gotten into a fight and nearly died, and now one of the people under her command, one of her friends, was gone. Dead, all because some asshole was trying to kill Ryder.

Logan broke a stick that had fallen from the tree, then threw it on the pile with the others.

Ryder didn't deserve this. She'd always been there for Logan, even back during the worse days in their childhood. They'd supported each other the entire time, and Logan _knew_ Ryder would never willingly give someone reason to cause her harm. Whoever this monster was, they could not have picked a more unfair target.

Logan still remembered the situation with Natalia, when Logan had gotten hurt on account of something that was aimed at Ryder. Never before had she seen her friend so angry, so determined. Ryder kept watch over Logan's apartment for a month, and had to be convinced by Logan herself that Natalia was unlikely to come back for her. And even then, it was clear she still carried misplaced blame for how things went out of hand.

And now somebody had died, once more at the hands of something, _someone_ aiming at Ryder.

Logan broke a tree root.

She, admittedly, didn't have much contact with Maddie. They'd interacted once or twice, but most of Logan's knowledge of the girl came from Ryder, who thought highly of the "pink little gremlin". She thought Maddie could one day come to succeed her, if not in leadership then at least in skill, and was certainly doing her best to help that last one come about. More than that, despite some friction, Ryder had considered Maddie a friend. And now she was gone.

So Logan stood guard over Ryder's home, daring the murderer to try another move on her. She was running out of things to break either way.

\--------------------------------------------------

She scribbled. Nothing in particular. The motion just helped her think.

At least she thought it did. Seemed better than standing still.

She stood up. Glued another piece of paper on her wall. Took a step back to think on it.

No, it didn't fit.

She took it off the wall for the third time.

What time was it anyway?

She sat back down.

She needed to go do something else. Anything. Clear her head. Maybe working out?

No. No. She needed to solve this. She _had_ to. She owed it to Maddie.

There were only two left, right? Dawn and Ellie.

No. Couldn't be Ellie. She had helped.

Had she? She didn't find much out.

No! She had! She offered support and investigated everyone! What happened wasn't her fault!

What about Dawn? She had vanished during the...

Stand up. Don't think about it. It happened already. Deal with it later.

A sound outside. Is it them? Can't be, Logan was keeping an eye out. She would stand guard.

...unless she was in on it.

Could she be? The only people around her right now were Logan and grandma. What if...

Ryder stood up and walked out of her room. Staying in there wasn't doing her any good. She needed to find help. She needed to be outside her own head.

\--------------------------------------------------

The setting sun shined briefly through the windows, painting the desks of Mama Maho's in shades of orange and red. Katia and Ellie sat at a table away from the windows, Katia entertaining a large cup of juice, Ellie sitting in front of a lonely, uneaten sundae. The whole thing had been Katia's idea, trying to find a way to get Ellie out of the house to do something else, maybe improve her mood.

Thus far it hadn't worked too well.

-Seems a pleasant afternoon. Nice breeze and everything. The night should be nice.

-Yeah.

That was about the extent of their conversations. Granted, neither girl knew very well what to say. Ellie knew Katia was very out of her depth in this situation, not helped by her already being worried for Sandra, and Ellie herself wasn't in no shape to get a conversation going. Still, though, she felt it was kind of unfair to not engage Katia. She had no experience helping people grieve, after all.

-Thanks. \- Ellie said. - For being here today. It's helping keep me distracted.

Katia carefully raised her eyes and studied Ellie's face for a second. She seemed uncertain of what to say.

-Dunno how much help I really can be right now.

-You're doing fine.

-Not doing a lot, though.

-You don't have to. It's not about doing every possible thing. It's about being there for people when they need it. Offering a shoulder and an ear when you can.

-Hm. \- Mumbled Katia, occupying herself with the straw on her drink.

-I'm serious. You're doing a lot more than you think. You've always been good at that. I'm not sure I could have dealt with today if you weren't there.

-Well. For what it's worth, I'm glad I can help.

The two girls gave each other the slightest of smiles, which, however little, was a good motivator for both.

Two small thoughts connected on Ellie's head, and she decided to continue that train of thought.

-Actually... that's it, really. You help us keep going.

Ellie corrected her posture in the chair, which called Katia's attention. They stared each other in the eye, and Katia could see a light start glowing behind Ellie's eyes again.

-Me and Sandra, we rely on you. We rely on you so much! That doesn't excuse us not telling you stuff, we bungled that up no doubt, but... \- Ellie stopped for a second, her brain connecting ideas together as she went. - you're not just the reason we fight, but the reason we _can_ fight. I go to you all the time for support, for advice. Because I know you're there to give it! I'm sure Sandra does it too!

-She... does talk about her regular nights often. And I try to help, I mean... you're still teenagers. You still panic, you still get thrown off-kilter sometimes, magic or no magic...

-And you're always there to help us parse those things! That's what you do, what you _can_ do. You help us keep going.

-I... \- Katia stammered, blushing a little. - I don't... I mean, I listen, but...

-Hey. No bringing yourself down. You're why we fight. Why we can _still_ fight. You help us so much more than you think you do.

Both girls smiled at each other, glad to be the other's support... and then something occurred to Katia, and she frowned again.

-You're going back into it, aren't you?

-Yes. \- Ellie couldn't deny it. Katia had given her an idea and her motivation back, and she could see the light behind Ellie's eyes again. - I have to. I promised to help Ryder and solve this, and we've already lost someone. I have to finish this. So we can all be safe.

-And I can't help. \- Responded Katia, hanging her head.

-Actually \- An idea popped into Ellie's head. - you can! Hold up, I... waitress! Waitress! I need to borrow a pen!

A confused waitress, with straightened hair and who until now had very graceful movements produced a pen, which Ellie eagerly took from her hand to write on a napkin.

-Ok, here: you're gonna call Ryder. I have no idea where she is, but I know she has to be around for what I'm about to do. Here \- she handed Katia the napkin. - is a bunch of phone numbers. If she's not in one of those places, someone in them is gonna know where she is.

-Can't I just go look for her?

-No! Ryder's the target. It's too dangerous. Just... oh, come here!

Ellie took Katia's hand and headed towards the counter, where the owner of the diner was.

-Mama! Is it ok for my friend to stay here? She needs a safe place for a few hours, and, and she needs to make some calls!

-Of course it's fine, darlin'! I've got a phone right here if you need to make a call.

-Thanks Mama!

-Ellie \- asked Katia. - Are you sure about this?

Ellie stared straight into Katia's eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

-Yes.

Katia nodded. Ellie was certain, and Katia trusted that.

-Then you come back safe, alright?

-Always. \- She gave Katia a kiss on the cheek. - Love ya. Stay safe here!

And so Ellie ran off into the street, heading towards danger, a heroic exit only slightly marred by her having to come back and tell Katia where she was heading so she could inform Ryder properly.


	18. Hidden In Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been visible from the start.
> 
> At night in the city, communication between different teams doesn't come easily. For the moments where sending a message is absolutely vital, there is one alternative: Team Courier, a group of girls dedicated to ensuring different teams of girls manage to coordinate on what is needed.
> 
> These are their adventures.
> 
> This work is not intended for commercial use.

Ryder burst into Team Courier HQ, nearly taking the door off it's hinges. Logan and Fan followed in her heels, desperately confused about the whole matter, seeing as Ryder had just stormed out of her house towards the trams without telling them what was happening.

Cyrus, who had been up at the HQ's balcony recording some thoughts, jumped in surprise, dropping his things on the floor as Ryder walked up the stairs.

-Hey, Cyrus. You're not doing anything, right?

-Well, I was getting some notes down \- He said, picking up the portable tape recorder he'd been using. - But I could... are you ok?

Ryder looked terrible. Aside from the bruises from her fight with Chris, she had also spent most of the time since then awake, freaking out about everything, and the rush from her house to here hadn't helped.

-Ryder, what's going on? \- Asked Logan, arriving at the balcony.

-I needed some air. And some help to think about this.

-What you need \- Shouted Fan, reprimanding Ryder while slowly climbing the stairs - is to calm down for a second, girl! All this rushing is doing your head no good!

-No, no, see, what I _need_ is a different perspective! You guys know what happened already, so I need your help, I need to figure out who's doing this!

-Ryder, please, calm down. You're frantic. This isn't-

-Yes! Yes, I'm frantic! I should have been frantic from the start! Someone tried to kill me, and I took my sweet time dealing with that instead of... \- she paused to hold her own outburst back. - I should have been seeking help from the start, right? Well I'm seeking help now. You guys can help me. So please, help!

-This isn't going to help you, Ryder. You're in no state to-

-This is _exactly_ the state I should be in! If I'd been like this since the start, maybe... Look, I have to work this out, ok? There's someone trying to get to me, and I have no idea who they are, or how I'm going to deal with them once I do know who they are, or even a plan or anything! And I can't turn to the CDD because they won't help catch a Magical Girl, and my head's full of ideas right now and I don't know who to-

Fan then tapped her cane on the ground, creating a loud enough noise to attract all the attention in the room.

-Yuè, enough. You are a smart woman, letting herself be led astray by paranoia and fear. Calm yourself, and _think_. What does the CDD want?

Ryder hesitated before answering, not sure where her grandmother was going with this.

-They want us on the street, which is why they don't punish us for-

-Wrong! \- Fan scolded her. - You are looking at the effect! Look for the cause! The reason _why_ they do what they do.

-They... they want to keep the image of Magical Girls clear. \- Ryder said that, and clarity started settling in on her head.

-Exactly. \- Agreed Fan, looking on proudly. - Now then, if you know what they want and how they do it, how can you use that to get them to do what _you_ want?

Ryder walked around the table for a while, letting herself think, before coming to a conclusion.

-Someone on Team Courier was murdered. By a Magical Girl. The CDD can't let word of that get out, so it's in their interest to help me. To stop her.

-So you need to prove the murder was made by a Magical Girl. \- Logan contributed. - And that she can use mind-control. Which should just be a matter of asking the other girls on the team, but they're all out right now.

-Right... did anybody see me fight Chris? We could use that!

-Nobody saw it. And you should be thankful for that. \- Said Cyrus. Ryder looked at him quizzically. - Think about it. You're going to go to the CDD telling them that there's a mind-controlling Magical Girl out there trying to kill you. If they're going to arrest a girl for big crimes, then there's a priority list of things they don't want getting out. A murderous Magical Girl, bad. A murderous Magical Girl who can control minds? Worse. That gets out to the public and there would be a panic. So they would arrest the closest possible suspect, and if anybody had seen your fight, that would have been Chris. You're lucky people were focused on the big monster inside the nightclub instead of the Magical Girls duking it out.

-What you need \- Said Fan - Is something irrefutable. Or a confession.

-Right. \- Ryder agreed, going back to her foul mood. - I just need some evidence of mind control, yeah, that's easy. Or, hey, a confession, yeah! I'll just go to the person whose identity I don't know and ask them to tell me what their plan was! It'll be great.

-Ryder...

Logan tried comforting her friend, but was interrupted. The phone on Cyrus' office started ringing.

-Ugh, probably the press. Just ignore it. \- They waited for the call to stop, which it did. Logan once more tried to speak, but the phone began ringing again, which led Cyrus to stand up. - Or maybe I'll take that and tell them to call later or something.

-Ryder. \- Continued Logan. - I know this looks bad, but...

-Of course it looks bad! I still don't know who's trying to kill me! Who managed to...

-But you have a plan now! You know what to do once you find them! \- Said Logan, bringing her friend in on a crushing hug.

-Yuè, things will always look terrible when you're in the middle of them. You must not let that crush you. \- Fan put her hand on Ryder's shoulder. - You are strong. And you have done so much more than anyone had any right to expect of you. You have help now. We will help you through this, and you will come out of the other end. You _will_ outlast this.

For however small a moment, Ryder smiled, thankful.

-Hey, uh, Ryder \- Said Cyrus, poking his head out of the office. - It's for you.

Everyone looked at him in disbelief.

-It's a friend of Ellen's, apparently. Kate or something? She said Ellie needs your help and that she's going to be at...

\--------------------------------------------------

Ellie ran through the doors of the hospital in a rush, barely identifying herself before running up to Team Courier's room.

There was something, two somethings, she needed to check. Two things that had occurred to her, and which she needed to confirm before getting to her theories.

The first of them was a hunch, something her intuition was telling her. She had thought about this on the way here, about everybody's locations last night and now, and this made sense to her.

So Ellie wasn't surprised when she opened the door and found Dawn inside the room with the other Couriers.

-Ellie! Hello.

Dawn had been sitting in a chair at the end of the room, as if keeping an eye on the other girls. She stood up as soon as Ellie walked in, very startled, but seemed to relax at the sight of her friend.

-Oh, hey, Dawn. Where have you been?

-Here. Thought somebody should. \- She took a moment to look Ellie over. - Are you ok?

-Yeah. \- Lied Ellie, contradicting every fiber of her being. Dawn seemed to pick up on that and didn't prod further. - So, you've been here all day?

-Yes. You and Ryder seemed distressed. Someone should keep an eye on the others.

Ellie looked the room over. Everything seemed the same as it had been the day before, and Dawn's story made _some_ amount of sense.

-Are _you_ ok? \- Ellie asked. Dawn's eyes ( _Clear eyes_ , Ellie noted to herself) shifted toward the ground in an odd expression.

-No worse than before. Hasn't settled in yet, I think.

-Hm. Tell you what, go get yourself something to drink, I'll be here a while anyway.

Dawn thanked her and walked out of the room, looking back in concern. Ellie wasn't very sure about letting Dawn out of her sight, but she needed some space to check the second thing. Still in a bit of a rush, she headed over to Sandra, and with immense amounts of care, opened her eyes.

 _Clear eyes._ No sign of those cold, dead eyes she'd seen before. One by one, she went to check each girl, and verified that they were all clear. They weren't being controlled anymore... although they were still knocked out. Some kind of last resort command, maybe? She didn't know.

Ellie moved to Phoebe's bed and picked up her bag, which the girl had left there before they went to the blue building. Amongst other things, she knew there was a notepad inside it, and she needed something to write on. First, however, she found a book Phoebe had been reading, and tenderly put it by Phoebe's side, before fishing the notepad out of her purse.

-Sorry. I'll buy you a new one, I promise.

Ellie sat down on the bedside chair and opened the notepad on the first blank page she could find.

The first thing she needed to do was lay out what exactly was the nature of the mind control. She had arrived at the conclusion that the mind control was the key to this whole thing. It felt like a safe bet to assume the murderer had used Team Courier members to set up the ambush on Ryder and to invade the HQ the other day, and so working out how that control was working was important.

The first thing Ellie wrote down was the simplest and most obvious: the more people controlled, the less individualized they were. She'd witnessed that herself, with the others on the blue building. Jasmine and Melissa had been the only ones to use their powers, while the others started working together better as more of them dropped.

...well, technically Helen had also used her powers, but using a summoned weapon was probably simpler than having to activate powers all the time.

Interestingly, though, none of them had spoken at any point. That was the main thing making Ellie wonder if this was just puppetry or actual mind control. Seemed odd to her. Thankfully, however, it also made her job easier, since finding mind-control victims was way easier when there was a big hint like "can't talk in any way when mind-controlled".

The next thing she needed to figure out was how that control took place. All she knew was the people who weren't controlled: Herself, Ryder, Dawn and Maddie. Ryder was obviously not being controlled, as she was still alive to start with, and Dawn, Maddie and herself couldn't be either. They'd all had good chances to kill Ryder if they were controlled: Ellie had been Ryder's only help when they were attacked by the other Couriers, Dawn had spent several nights alongside Ryder and was the only Courier who wasn't out of action when Ryder went after Maddie, and Maddie had saved Ryder from Chris. None of those very good chances on Ryder's life had been taken, so the odds of them being controlled were low in Ellie's mind.

Which left Ellie with seven victims of mind control. Phoebe, Chris, Helen, Melissa, Sandra, Tamara and Jasmine. Someone had managed to catch each of them.

This reminded Ellie of the something else she needed to write down: "Requires condition for mind control, but not activation". Her reasoning for that was simple: neither Chris nor Phoebe had been in contact with anyone outside the team in the moments leading up to them attacking. If so, then the mind control could be activated from a distance. And since Ellie and Ryder both remained uncontrolled, that meant that the moment where the others fell victim to the mind control and the moment in which that mind control activated had to be separate instances. Which also meant it could be activated and deactivated at will.

...well, ok, they didn't _have_ to be that way, but in the absence of a motive for not taking control of Ellie or Ryder, this made more sense to her.

...presuming she wasn't already under control, but unaware.

Ellie was starting to get annoyed at this mind control thing.

She then wrote down one last thing: "Mind control allows affecting memories." Sandra and Melissa both thought they and their partners had been on the blue building on the night Celina died, despite there being plenty of evidence against that. Since there was no point in them lying about it, it made sense to Ellie that their memories had been changed. She just hoped the change wasn't permanent.

_So, to recap: level of control changes the more targets there are. Victims can't speak. Their memories can be changed by mind control. Taking control and activating control are two different things, and the second doesn't need the controller to be present. Maddie, Dawn, Ryder and I are the only ones who escaped._

__

There were still a few (ok, several) things she wasn't sure about in all of those assessments, but there was no time to test any of her theories, and she didn't have to do that anyway. All Ellie needed right now was a set of things she could say with certainty were true, so she could have a base to go from for her next part:

__

Figuring out the order in which the others fell to mind control.

__

In some places, working that out would be an exercise in futility. There were 7 Couriers who'd fallen victim and a lot of time to do it in, so she was never going to work out the entire timeline. But if she could pin down a few of them, that would make it much easier to work out what the common cause was, or if there even was one.

__

Getting the obvious out of the way first, Ellie wrote down Tamara's name on the notepad. The attack on Ryder had to have involved her, with the spotlights and everything. Giving it further thought, Ellie added Sandra: Ryder had seen someone else during the attack, and Tamara clearly hadn't shrunk all the spotlights, since someone had carried the broken one back to the blue building. So by the time of the attack, at least two Couriers were controlled, one of which was Tamara. The other was probably Sandra, then, given one would notice the absence of the other on that night. So they would be her starting line.

__

Next on her mind were Melissa and Chris, who also had their memories changed. Whether that meant they were caught early on or not was a mystery to her, due to the memories changing. That could indicate that they were being mind-controlled since before Celina died, but that seemed unlikely. It would indicate that Celina's death was also an attempt like the one on Ryder, but that would mean the case was way larger than they thought. Which, granted, was entirely possible, but there was still too much uncertainty in the case as it was. Ellie needed to clear the things she already knew and set up some possibilities before deciding whether to include more victims on the list.

__

_You're losing focus_ , she thought, shaking her head.

__

Ellie had absolutely nothing on Melissa. They hadn't interacted before Ellie's investigation, and she hadn't heard much about the girl. Chris, on the other hand... Ellie had the hunch that Chris had been the last one to be put under mind control, for one simple reason: the attack inside the blue building would have been successful is Ryder had needed to fight both Helen _and_ Chris.

__

Jasmine, sadly, suffered the same problem as Melissa: Ellie had barely any knowledge of her actions, and couldn't really tell much about when she could have been caught. So Ellie moved to Helen and Phoebe instead. Helen was an enigma, but Phoebe... Phoebe would have noticed something. She knew everybody in the team better than anybody else, and she kept a close eye on people. She especially would have noticed if Helen had been caught, and the same was valid for Helen, so it stood to reason they would have been caught together. The exact point at which that happened, however, was a problem. Maybe... Ryder had seen a white glove on the HQ the night before they went to the blue building the first time, right? Helen wore no gloves, but Phoebe had white ones. It was hard to pin down exactly when she would have done that, but then Ellie hadn't kept an eye on everyone at Mama Maho's that night, so perhaps... She wrote that down.

__

_So, what do we have?_ , she thought, looking at the notepad. Tamara and Sandra as the first victims she could pin down, Chris as the last, with Jasmine and Melissa as unknowns, and Phoebe and Helen... somewhere probably before the HQ was invaded. This exercise hadn't helped her much, she felt. 

__

Ultimately, however, all girls shared one thing in common that Ellie was aware of... which would lead her to start theorizing.

__

Before that, however, Ellie stood up and walked around the room a bit, notepad in hand, trying to iron out all of the points she'd written down to see if she had missed anything or if any of them were faulty. Nothing seemed too wrong, however, and so Ellie sat back down on her chair by Phoebe's bed.

__

-6:40. \- She said to herself out loud. It was earlier than she expected. Yet, somehow, she also felt Ryder should have arrived by now. Still, she needed to keep herself on the ball here.

__

It was time to grapple with the inevitable: Dawn was the primary suspect at this point.

__

This wasn't really something Ellie wanted to admit, but she had ignored the possibility for far too long at this point, and, if she was being entirely honest, the thought had been on her head long before Dawn became literally the only other Courier remaining aside from Ellie and Ryder. It was why Ellie rushed to confirm Dawn had been inside the hospital for most of the day: she needed to know Dawn was somewhere she could be kept under watch.

__

Two main points could be held against Dawn: motive, and opportunity. Motive was what Tamara had suggest a few days ago: anger at Celina's fate, which could be pinned on Ryder. Opportunity, on the other hand, came from Dawn being the one common point between all the mind-controlled Couriers: they had all gone to Dawn's house to help her, with Ryder, Ellie and Maddie, the only people who hadn't done that, being the only ones free. And then, well, there was the fact that Dawn was the only other person remaining, as well as the one who did nothing to help save Maddie.

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However... some things made Ellie hesitant about that theory. Two things, in fact: The main thing being, if Dawn's motive was primarily vengeance, why had this taken so long, and more importantly, why had Dawn not already done the deed? She certainly had enough chances. Instead, she went in roundabout ways, and didn't even try to recruit anybody to her side.

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And, secondly, what about the mind control? Ellie knew what Dawn's power was: she could summon her eagle and control wind. Neither thing could be connected to mind control. The one thing that could was, of course, Celina, as Maddie had pointed out before. The _Mind_ Courier. It could be assumed the two were working together, with Celina faking her death... if it wasn't for two issues: Three other people, one of whom Ellie could with a good amount of certainty say wasn't mind-controlled, could confirm that Celina did not survive that night. And even if they couldn't, had Celina not survived the night... what was Dawn's motive then? Killing Ryder and Maddie because Celina got hurt seemed disproportionate, and trying to take over Team Courier seemed silly when Ryder was about to retire anyway.

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So, now that Ellie thought about it, the Dawn theory had about as many big flaws as it had points. Yes, Dawn had motive and opportunity, but not the means, and if she did have the means, she automatically didn't have the motive anymore. Something was missing.

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There was, of course, the idea of Celina having faked her death and done this by herself... but then there were two big problems Ellie could see with that. First of all, Celina was, by no uncertain means, lacking a hand. Her hand had been found on the ground and burned in absence of her body, which meant if she did fake her death, then she had to have spent the whole month since her death with a massive wound... or have gone to heal it somewhere, which would require her leaving the building without Dawn, Phoebe, Helen, Logan or any of the building's residents noticing, and nobody realizing a girl without a hand showed up at a hospital on the same night where a girl died with her only remains being a single hand. It seemed very unlikely.

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Ellie was deep in her thoughts at that point, which meant she was very startled when Dawn opened the door to the room, returning from her trip to the vending machine.

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-Hey. Here, bought you this. \- She said, extending a small can of soda to Ellie.

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The younger girl picked it up and opened it, then, having second thoughts, pretended to drink and put it down on the ground next to her, while Dawn sat down on the empty bed across Phoebe. Sadly, Ellie wasn't feeling very trusting today, although she made a mental note to apologize to Dawn in case this mistrust turned out to be wrong.

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-Doing some thinking?

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-Yeah. \- Confirmed Ellie. - Still got a case, after all. Somebody still wants to kill Ryder.

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-Fair enough. Need help?

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-Nah, just throwing ideas around my head right now. I'll call you if I think of something, though, thanks.

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Dawn gave Ellie a thumbs up, picked up the a novel she'd been reading when Ellie first entered the room, and resumed her pastime.

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Ellie, meanwhile, turned her head to two different thoughts.

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The first of those was that Phoebe had been remarkably easy to take out. She had simply blacked out after Ellie tackled her, giving no resistance at all. The others had all put up a fight, mostly. Although that did bring back to mind how Melissa, upon noticing she was trapped on the ground, simply blacked out as well. Was the mind-controller just giving up on them? That felt weird.

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The bigger thought on her head, however, was about Maddie. Why her? What had Maddie done that would result in her being a target? Ryder had been the apparent target from day one, but if Ellie had to bet on anyone else the murderer would want out of the way, it would have been herself, not Maddie.

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Maybe she had been wrong about this the whole time? There had been a small thought on the back of Ellie's mind, all the way since yesterday... Logan's account had a contradiction.

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Back when Dawn first told Ellie about the night Celina died, she had specified that there had been no flare calling attention to the building, at any point. Dawn had even been the one to stay behind when the residents started leaving the building, and thus she would know. Yet Logan claimed to have seen a flare.

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So. Had Logan lied? And if so... why? Phoebe had agreed with her, yeah, but then Phoebe had been mind-controlled, and Ellie had proof memories were affected under mind control. So... could Logan have been the mind-controller? Ellie certainly didn't know what her powers were. But why would she want to kill Ryder?

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... _did_ she want to kill Ryder? _Ok, ok, let's drop the logical and go for the hypothetical here: What if Ryder is the culprit?_

__

It seemed an insane idea, but as soon as Ellie thought about it quite a few things clicked on her head. Nobody had witnessed Ryder being attacked by monsters, so the only account of it was hers. Logan was strong enough to carry a spotlight, which could set up Ryder asking Bud about it. The attack on Ryder and Ellie in the blue building could also have been staged, since nobody in there could really beat Ryder, and Logan entered it as soon as the fight ended, and them being in cahoots would explain why Logan didn't attack them if she was the mind-controller. What was the point, though? Convincing Ellie that Ryder was innocent? That would mean they were setting up... what, Maddie's murder? But why? And why put Ryder in more risk by making Chris attack her?

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That theory had to be a bust. Neither Logan nor Ryder had a motive for this. They might have had the means, and a lot of coincidences would have been explained by this, but wanting to explain those things didn't make the theory real.

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A smaller, simpler thought came to Ellie's mind: could both theories be true? Could Ryder have maliciously caused Celina's death, and then have been targeted by Dawn... and _then_ caused Maddie's death? Thus making both parties guilty? That would mean Maddie's death had just been a way to throw everyone off... or maybe it had just been an accident with a monster?

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Ellie quickly put that theory down again. While it was an interesting notion, ultimately there was no reason to think it was real. The theories covered some parts of each other, but this still didn't solve what was lacking in either of them, and it only made things more complicated. The answer to something was generally the simplest one, and this just raised more questions than it solved, and it even raised the possibility of _two_ mind-controllers.

__

Ellie slumped back on her chair, frustrated. What was she _missing_? None of those theories clicked together properly. She would still need to go around, ask questions, make sure of other things... exposing herself and Ryder to more danger. And yet she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was onto something!

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Ellie touched Phoebe's hand. Poor girl. When, if she woke up, the things she would have to hear about... It was weird to think that no more than a single day ago, none of them would have imagined this, feared having a friend turn on them with those dead, cold eyes...

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_Cold eyes_ , Ellie thought.

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A small memory came to Ellie's mind, of her very first night in Team Courier. With that memory, came a theory.

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And suddenly every piece of the puzzle fell into place at once.

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Ellie immediately stood up from her chair in shock, knocking it back and startling Dawn, who also stood up. She said something, but Ellie was too distracted to notice.

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_Logan didn't lie._

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Several different thoughts passed by Ellie's head as she double-checked her theory.

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_Sandra and Tamara were far from the first to be mind-controlled._

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She had to be wrong. This was _such_ an insane idea!

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_Katia talked about how we all panic sometimes._

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And yet it made sense!

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_The monster looked around the nightclub like it was scouting us... and Maddie was behind a pillar where Ryder had been._

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Everything was there. It clicked. All she needed was confirmation.

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_The mind-controlled became capable of more the less of them there were, but we thought we never saw any of them speak!_

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Ellie hesitated. This was a big accusation to make. She didn't want to...

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_"Ellie, honey, you need to be more assertive sometimes."_

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Ellen braced herself, set her posture right, turned to Dawn, and said:

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-So, the whole brainwashing thing. Is that something I should be worried about, or do you only do it to your friends?

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That had been a bluff. She knew she was in no danger of being brainwashed. Much on the contrary. But she needed to call her attention. Predictably, Dawn looked confused. Ellen continued.

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-I mean, I get that you're going after Ryder. \- Ellen made a big theater of it, as if she was still pondering. - So I should be a good target, right? Make sure Ryder has nobody on her side next time she's standing alone somewhere.

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Again, complete bluff. Ellen was an enemy. She was a target and she knew that. but she needed to make it clear she knew what was going on.

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-Ellie, what's going on? \- Asked Dawn. Poor girl.

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-Oh come on now. \- Ellen dropped the pretense. - We both know I'm not talking to Dawn here.

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Dawn looked at Ellie in confusion for a moment... before dropping that completely, as her whole body shuddered and her eyes went cold again. In the span of a moment, her posture and body language changed, and an overly sweet smile, entirely not hers, made itself present on her face.

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-Oh, well done. \- Dawn's voice spoke the words of someone else, in a cheerful and confident tone she had never taken before. - I really should have focused on you last night, huh?

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Ellen tensed up. This was it. Confirmation.

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Now she just needed to bring Dawn back through it. No big deal, right?

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-Honestly, I'm shocked. \- Dawn's voice continued. - And here I was, so certain I hid my trail. How did _you_ of all people work it out?

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Ellen propped herself on the foot of Phoebe's bed and smiled a nervous smile.

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-A bit of conclusion-jumping. A bit of logic. A lot of bluffing.

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An absolutely uncanny giggle passed through Dawn's lips. Her entire body language was wrong.

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-But mainly, the eyes. They look weird when you do your thing, and turns out I noticed it the very first time I ever saw Dawn. Which I guess means the very first thing I ever noticed about Dawn was, well, you. Weird thought to have. \- Ellie added as an aside.

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-Huh. The eyes. I never noticed. Oh well. \- A dismissive gesture was made with Dawn's hand. - Dawn would probably take what you just said as a wondrous compliment, you know.

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-Hm... maybe before. Right now I can't imagine her being too happy about this after I tell her.

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-Oh, I wouldn't worry. \- A brief expression of someone else's sadness passed through Dawn's face for a moment, then faded. - Dawn won't ever have to know it if I do this right.

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_If_. Ellen's assumptions were right, then.

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-What, you think I won't tell her? \- Ellen taunted.

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-I, my dear, am rather certain you won't be able to.

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Dawn adopted a a different posture, and took a step towards Ellen, her intention perfectly clear. As predicted. Now came the hard part.

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-Oh, I see. Lotta girls losing their minds in Team Courier, what's one more, right? Put the blame on me, say Dawn had no other choice? \- Ellen took a step back. _Don't let her notice this._ \- At least I assume that's your plan, right?

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Another step taken toward Ellen.

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-You really do think I'm telling you, don't you? That I'm going to stop now and explain to you my big, nefarious plan? The only reason I'm showing myself at all is because you already got too far. I am taking no more risks with you.

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Ellen took another step back, matching the gaze she was receiving from Dawn. Ellen knew how to break through the mind control, but this had to be done very carefully. She could not let her expression betray her plan. Her life depended on it.

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Ellen's hand began to seek something on the bed as she walked backwards.

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-Scared you can't keep the plan and make me out as the liar?

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-The only person who would ever believe _you_ \- Dawn's voice took a scathing tone - is Ryder. But, annoyingly, right now she's the only one who _needs_ to believe you.

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One more step for each. Ellen was running out of time. She would be within Dawn's reach in the next step. Her hands really needed to find what she wanted soon.

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-And I can't have anyone getting in the way again.

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Dawn took another step, and raised an arm towards Ellen.

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-Oh \- Ellen responded. - I bet you ca-

__

Her fingers touched the object she wanted, and without even taking the time to think, she transformed and threw Phoebe's book at Dawn in a single, fluid motion, causing Dawn to recoil...

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And get splashed in the face with water.

__

Dawn opened her eyes to find that Ellie, now transformed, had turned the book into water as she threw it.

__

A moment of tension hanged in the air, and then every girl in the room woke up at once.

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Over the many confused noises of all the other girls grappling with what was happening, Ellen stepped up to Dawn and grabbed her face, forcing their eyes to meet.

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Dawn had her clear, normal eyes back. The other one was gone.

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Ellie stepped back, a breath of relief escaping her as she grabbed onto Phoebe's bed for support for her now trembling knees, adrenaline rushing through her. As she did so, Phoebe grabbed her in a panic.

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-Ellie! It's her! I couldn't tell you, it's-

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-It's Celina. \- Muttered Dawn, clutching herself in distress as she sat on the floor. - Celina did all of this.

__


End file.
